6 Fun Tips to Keep Kids Reading All Summer Long
Posted by Laura M on Jul 17th 2024
Summer is here, and it’s the perfect time to help your child dive into new adventures, discover new lands, and meet fascinating characters– all within the pages of their favorite books. However, encouraging your child to read during the summer months can be a challenge. To help you encourage your children to keep their reading skills sharp while having fun, we've put together six fantastic tips. Let’s help them make this summer their best one yet!
1. Provide Incentives. Celebrate reading milestones with a special reward! Rewards not only make reading fun but also give your child something to look forward to. Did they finish the first chapter of their book? Maybe take them out for ice cream to celebrate this small win. Did they complete their first book of the summer? Take the whole family to the park to celebrate together and help encourage your child to keep going with their reading list!
2. Host a Reading Challenge. There’s nothing more exciting than a friendly competition! Try organizing a reading challenge with your child’s friend group or siblings to encourage healthy reading habits this summer. Set goals for either the number of books, pages, or minutes they must read. Try tracking everyone’s progress on a colorful chart for everyone to see to help motivate them. Offer small prizes for each small milestone and a grand prize for the overall winner to encourage each reader. This will help keep the excitement going throughout the challenge!
3. Change the Scenery. If your child has a hard time reading at home, it might be time to consider changing the environment where they are reading! Reading doesn’t have to be confined to the living room or bedroom. Take your child on a reading adventure outside of the home. Consider taking them to the beach to enjoy their favorite book waterside or take them for a treat at a local coffee shop and go on a reading date together. Even if you do not want to travel, simply encouraging them to read outside can be a great idea. Going outside can help reduce the indoor distractions of wanting to play video games or watch TV. By changing up your child’s scenery, you can help make reading a new adventure and even more exciting!
4. Create Related Activities. Make summer reading something your child looks forward to by bringing their books to life! We recommend creating fun activities your child can do as they read. This can make stories feel more immersive and deepen their engagement with the book. For example, if your child is reading a book about space, why not build a cardboard rocket ship together? Reading about detectives? Set up a scavenger hunt for your child. Even by just grabbing some crayons and paper to draw scenes from the story can help your child connect more deeply with their favorite characters.
5. Make a Summer Reading List. Your child may not feel very motivated to continue reading throughout the summer if they don’t know what book to read next. Help build anticipation and excitement by building a reading list together. Let your child pick their favorites and try to encourage adding a few recommendations from their teachers or a local librarian. Once you have agreed on a list together, post this list in your home so your child can feel accomplished by checking off each book they finish. This doesn’t just help with planning but keeps them motivated!
6. Join Summer Reading Programs. If you don’t want to host a reading challenge in your home, consider having your child join a local business’s summer reading program. There are a handful of businesses during the summer months that will host reading programs and provide incentives for children after hitting certain milestones. For example, Barnes and Noble hosts a program for children in grades 1 through 6th that awards children with a free book for reading eight books over the summer. Children must simply record their books in a printable journal and must have this turned in by August 31, 2024 to be rewarded. Does your child love pizza? Pizza Hut has a program called Pizza Hut Camp Book It! which rewards children all summer! The program is available for children ages 4 - 12. Parents will work together with their child to make reading goals and once goals are achieved, they are rewarded with a certificate for a free one-topping personal pan pizza. Be sure to check with your local public library as well! Most libraries offer reading programs during the summer months and provide incentives for children to meet specific goals. Simply try Googling “library summer reading challenges near me” and you are sure to find one! Also, keep an eye out for local businesses that may be hosting programs. Some businesses will offer prizes or fun activities for reading winners. You can generally find these being announced on social media or through local community calendars! As you can see, there are many types of programs your child can join this summer to keep them reading all summer long!
We hope you enjoyed these tips to help make reading an exciting part of your child’s summer. Remember, if you want your child to continue reading after school has ended, the goal is to make it a fun activity and they will need the entire family’s support! May their summer be filled with new exciting stories. Happy reading!