5 Ways to Make Summer Reading More Fun
With summer coming, it’s not too soon to think about making reading an activity that you and your family will look forward to during long lazy days and quiet afternoons. Here are five ways to get ready to read when the temperature starts to heat up.
1. Create a reading nook in your home. Add pillows, cushions, a lamp, and a blanket that will invite your child to get comfortable. Create a quiet hiding spot inside a closet, under a canopy, or in a small corner.
Looking for ideas to create a reading space? A quick look for “reading nook” on Pinterest will give you ideas galore.
2. Add a big stack of books for your kids, and refill as needed. Every year before our family’s summer road trip when I was a kid, my mom would take us to the library to get enough books to last us for eleven hours in the car. I would read them all the day before the trip even started! The library has excellent reading lists available, but summer can be a time for your child to browse on her own and find new favorites within the stacks.
3. Throw in some of your favorites books too. Show your child how much you like to read by adding your own books. It’s always an extra incentive for me to read with my kids when I see my old childhood favorites.
Some of the books I loved when I was a kid are:
– The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone
– Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
– Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Also put the books you’re currently reading in your book corner. Reading time at our house doesn’t always mean I’m reading children’s books aloud. Sometimes my kids and I sit together and quietly read through our individual books, even if the little ones are just flipping through the pages and looking at pictures.
4. Make an event of getting a library card for your kid. Possessing a library card is a special privilege, and it’s a good way to teach your child grown-up responsibility.
5. Read for pleasure, but recognize your child’s accomplishments. How many books can you and your kids read in a month? You could join a summer reading club. Alpha Mom has a free printable to record summer reading.
Whether it’s a summer beach novel or classic children’s literature, enjoy this hallmark of summer!
