Reading in the summer helps all kids keep their reading skills sharp. Unfortunately, many kids with dyslexia or other reading disabilities often dread just picking up a book. Here are 12 quick, easy ways you can encourage more summer reading from your child!
#1. Make many books available.
We have books throughout our house, mostly on bookshelves. I have found that when books are on shelves in our home, they are treasured by the adults. Yet the kids rarely grab one to read. So the first step is to make the books in your home more accessible to kids. Many books are good, but not too many at one time.
Put between 5 to 10 on lower shelves for younger kids. Change them each week so they are fresh.
For older kids, provide 3 to 5 chapter books in a book basket or a small bucket. They will be more likely to browse through the books. Of course, let them know they are allowed and welcome to look at the options.
For kids who have cell phones, help them install an ebook app or audiobook app or your local library app. Let your child decide which app is their preferred place to take a book on the go.
#2. Go on book-related outings.
Your local library is a treasure house of literacy ideas. In addition to borrowing books and videos, check out the story hours, trivia nights and other events. Going to the library can be a quick outing on a boring summer day. Take your time to let your kids browse for books, play on the computers, or socialize with friends. The more time you spend in the library, the more acclimated your kids become around books.
Make books more exciting by creating an adventure around them. Take nature guidebooks camping and learn to classify trees, flowers, or birds.
Download or sign up for kids’ programs at your vacation destination. National Parks all have Junior Ranger programs where kids can read about the science and history of the area. Target a specific topic, like wolves or poisonous plants. Read nonfiction books in preparation or on the way home.
Go see a play or concert. Read the playbill.
If your child reads a book, watch a video or play that is based on the book. Take comprehension skills to the next level by discussing together how the book and the performance are similar or different. Form opinions about which was better. That is one way to teach the difference between facts and opinions.
#3. Read out loud together.
Bond with your child by sharing a good book. When they’re old enough, take turns having them read to you or to their younger siblings. In the summer, reading a classic book aloud can be a great family activity in the mornings to get the kids up and going. Plus it sparks imaginative play for later in the day!
Or make your read aloud time in the evening to wind down and share a cool drink. As you read, let the kids draw or play legos or practice knitting. Their hands are busy and you are sharing treasured moments of bonding over a book.
#4. Provide books at all different levels.
Kids actually have 3 reading levels: a frustration level, an instructional level, and an independent level. Reading at a frustration level is one of the most common ways kids are turned off to reading for pleasure. So how do kids get turned on to reading? Empower them to have choices. We want kids to read as much as possible.
Reading at their grade level in school is most likely a child’s instructional level; although kids with any reading struggles may have an instructional reading level a year or more below their school grade.
When kids choose to read at a level below where you know they can read, they are actually expressing their level of confidence with reading. Giving kids the power to read books that are “too” easy can help to boost their confidence and improve their fluency or speed of reading. When you provide picture books, poetry books, early readers, and shorter chapter books, as well as books at and above grade level, you are empowering your child to select material that is most comfortable at the moment.
Picture books are often written at a higher level than early readers. The beautiful illustrations can be a source of joy, especially for kids who find the effort of symbolic processing difficult. Poetry is frequently shorter and the rhyme and rhythm of poetry can build those important phonemic awareness skills that kids with language-based disorders frequently need to practice. The Random House Book of Poetry or books by Shel Silverstein can have your kid laughing out loud in no time!
#5. Transform the setting.
Have a Reading Picnic!
On a nice day, pack a picnic lunch and a beach bag of books. Bring a blanket and some toys. Go to a park for the afternoon. After you eat lunch, spread out the blanket. Put the books in the center of the blanket and have everyone read for at least 20 minutes. This is a good time for a read aloud also, but my kids always loved D.E.A.R. time – Drop Everything And Read time! Mom or Dad, you sit and read also!
You can have just as much fun having a reading picnic on rainy day. Gather blankets or beach towels to spread out on the living room or family room floor. Put up umbrellas if you want. Make popcorn or lay out fun snacks, like milkshakes or s’mores. Putting on sunscreen if your kids like the sensory input and smell can help to create a fond memory of rainy day reading picnics. Of course, pull out favorite books, books about weather, or books about the beach. Read independently or together. Feel free to share great sentences or passages as you come across them.
#6. Model reading on a regular basis.
Life can get really hectic, especially with jobs. Many families spend way more time watching tv or playing video games than reading. Adults spend a lot of time on our phones. Children learn from models and feel whether they are included or ignored.
If you want your child to be a reader, you need to be a reader. Let them see you sitting down to read. Read an old-fashioned paper book or e-books. Take audiobooks along when you travel to activities.
If you’re reading a story, show your reactions! There are plenty of people on YouTube reacting to all kinds of things. Maybe even have a competition to read in the same room and see who can have the best reactions to the story!
If you’re reading informational text, talk about what you are learning. It doesn’t need to be academic. It could be tips for folding sheets or how to plant a garden. Include your kids in the excitement of learning something new.
No matter where your kids go to school, you will always be the most influential teacher for your children. You are teaching by your example all the time. Model being a reader, and your kids are more likely to become readers themselves.
#7. Plan a movie night to watch a movie or tv show based on a book.
If your child has read a book or you’ve finished a read aloud book that has been made into a movie, have a family movie night to celebrate. Do it up big! Make popcorn and favorite drinks. Get your places ready. Turn out the lights. Or better yet…create an outdoor screen in your backyard or against a wall of your house and have an outdoor movie theater!
#8. Play word games.
Play spelling games, like Scrabble or Boggle. Play word games in the car, like alphabet signs or rhyming word challenges. Even when your child isn’t reading a book, word play strengthens the brain skills involved in the reading process. If you need ideas, look for resources for phonemic awareness.
#9. Integrate reading into daily routines.
Use household chores and leisure pastimes as an opportunity to practice reading. Sometimes I will make a huge list of chores to be done from easy tasks to hard ones. I will put the items on slips of paper and put them in a jar.
Each person draws one paper and reads it. If they know how to do the task independently, that’s the one for that kiddo. If they don’t know how to do the task, but they can try, then demonstrate and do it together. If the task is too hard or difficult, then together decide if they will watch and learn from you or put that one back and draw again.
You not only get help with chores, you’ve created an opportunity to do real life reading and then communicate and negotiate together to get the jobs done.
When you are on the go, suggest that your kids try to read a restaurant menu. Of course, help without embarrassing them. If needed, let them practice at home from an online menu. Or have your child practice giving their order to you so they are more confident when it is time to tell the waiter or waitress.
#10. Set up book exchange opportunities.
Many kids want to have a lemonade stand in the summer. Why not purge old books they no longer read? Have them set up a table and sell the old books to neighbors? Then use the money toward new books! Of course, that leads to…
On a week when nothing else is happening, schedule a book exchange party. You can include crafts, games, swimming, or kite flying. Ask guests to wrap a used book they like but don’t want any longer. Exchange the books like a white elephant party at holiday times. Opening gifts is fun! The kids may get so into the exchange party, they will want to have more!
Our community used to have a library sale in the summer. The kids were each able to pick out 10 books to bring home. They loved to browse and make their selections. Many times they wanted more than 10 books!
#11. Involve reading in fun, practical tasks.
Turn reading into a practical task of cooking or learning the rules of a sport.
Have your child look through recipe books to help you plan a fun meal. Suggest that the menu have each of the food groups. Then have your child read the recipe and make a grocery list. Depending on the ages of your kids, either allow them to make the food independently – and clean up too, of course. Or make it a fun activity to do together.
It’s even more fun if each person in your family writes down the recipe for their favorite treat or meal. You will get a kick out of reading recipes for popsicles or ice cream sundaes. Ask your kids to write down how to make a salad or even how to grill chicken. Make your own recipe book!
If your family is into sports or outdoor activities, find websites and brochures for different events. Guide your child to look for locations, dates, and times. Or make a video of the rules of a game or specific moves when playing. Then go to a game or event!
If your family is into the arts, look for articles or websites that tell about famous musicians, artists, or dancers. Find information to learn something in music theory, an art technique, or dance move. Then try it!
#12. Set goals and reward reading!
At the beginning of summer (or a new season), help your child set a goal for number of books, chapters, or minutes. I like to use a chart where kids can color a picture or write a title on a reading for each book, chapter, or minutes of reading.
It’s a good idea to keep the goal set for a week or a month. When the goal has been reached (even if it took longer than the expected time), celebrate building the habit of reading!
Rewards are best if they are activities with you. Go for ice cream, play a family game, make a special dinner. If you decide to give tangible rewards, keep them small, like a fidget toy or craft supplies. Expensive rewards are not necessary for kids to be proud of their efforts. Recognition and your attention are the most powerful incentives.
In conclusion, remember that if you push hard, your kids will get the impression that reading is hard work and that they are constantly in performance mode for your evaluation. The more you make reading part of your lifestyle, make books available, and have fun together, the more likely your children will know that literacy is a natural and important part of how daily life happens.
