We all want to keep our kids busy in the summer. Whether they are in day camp or at home with a nanny, there is down time during the day when they should keep up with academics. One of the best mind expanding activities for kids is summer reading. But how do we get kids to read in the summer, when it competes with video games, television and outdoor activities? Take the following steps to get your children reading over the summer.
Give Incentives: Kids love rewards. If there is some type of reward after they complete a book during the summer, kids will be more likely to read, and more importantly, it will likely spark their desire to read. Such incentives can be special day trips on the weekend, or something as simple as a special sticker.
Set Goals: Help your children – depending on their ages – to set a summer reading goal. This could be three books for a second grader, and eight for a fifth grader. With specific goals set, you can encourage your children to reach them. Consider giving them a prize or special recognition when they reach their goals.
Let Kids Choose Their Books: Take your kids to the library or book store and go to their age appropriate section. Let them choose their summer reading materials. When kids choose their own books, they'll be more interested in completing the reading.
Designate Reading Time: Whether it's in the morning before they start their day, or a half hour before bed, a designated reading time fits reading into your children's daily summer routine.
Encourage Book Series: Choose an age-appropriate book series for your children to read over the summer. Books that are part of a series pique kids' interest, and they look forward to completing the series. Starting a new series at the start of the summer and encouraging completion by summer's end is a great way to keep kids reading all season.
The following summer reading list is recommended by Sylvan Learning Center:
Kindergarten: Whose Mouse Are You? by Robert Krause and Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Grade 1: Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin and Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott
Grade 2: Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle and How Much Is a Million by David M. Schwartz, Stephen Kellogg
Grade 3: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech and Beach for the Birds by Bruce McMillan
Grade 4: Summer Reading is Killing Me! By Jon Scieszka and So You Want To Be President? by Judith St. George and Illustrated by David Small
Grade 5: Holes by Louis Sachar and Science Kitchen by Chris Maynard
Grade 6: Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket and My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen
Grade 7: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck and Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom by Walter Dean Myers
Grade 8: Ender's Game (Ender Series #1) by Orson Scott Card and Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Grade 9: Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard and Silent Spring by Rachel L. Carson
Grade 10: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut and Profiles In Courage by John F. Kennedy
Grade 11: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith and Katherine G. Balderston
Grade 12: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift and Pat Rogers and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen