5 Ways to Encourage Summer Reading

Summer may be ending within a month, but that’s a valuable month your kids could be using to read during. If you’re a parent and you find you are having a hard time getting your child to read, you’re not alone. A recent report shows that the amount of children who are frequent readers has declined. A lot of this has to do with the digital world we now live in. Kids are surrounded by screens of all sorts, whether these are phones, video games, computers, or tablets. While there is nothing wrong with kids consuming social media and playing video games, these activities build fewer skills than reading does.

But how do you encourage your reluctant child to pick up a book during the summer? We have the answer!

1.      Introduce them to summer reading programs. They may be starting late, but they still have a whole month to participate. It is likely your local library has some sort of summer reading program going on. It could involve reading for prizes, different reading challenges, story events, and more. A summer reading program is a great way to get kids more interested in reading.

2.      Encourage kids to pick out what types of books they want to read. Don’t push them to stick to a summer reading list. Your kid is much more likely to read voluntarily if they are allowed to pick out the books they want. Take them to the library and let them go wild. Drive them to the bookstore and let them find a book or two they’d like to take home. Giving your kid the freedom to find their own reading materials will make reading feel less like an assignment.

3.      Keep reading materials around your house. This includes more than just novels. Have magazines accessible. Newspapers. Vacation guides. When we think or reading we think of books, but that’s not the only medium out there. Show your kids how much reading there is to be done just by having these materials around your home.

4.      Connect with your kids, and allow kids to connect with others, through books. One great way to do this is to read the same books your kid reads so you can talk about it, or simply let them tell you all about the story. There are book discussion groups just for kids as well. You can also encourage your kids to share their favorite books with friends to encourage connection. When kids have someone to talk about reading with, they are more likely to enjoy it.

5.      Be a positive role model by reading yourself. You can’t tell your kids to read if you never spend any time reading yourself. And no, don’t just read newspapers in the morning. Read novels after dinner. Take a book with you to the beach. Browse a magazine in your downtime. If kids see you reading, they are more likely to model your behavior.