When the lazy days of summer arrive and the schedule is packed
with swimming, camp, and family vacations, it can be a challenge to
find time for learning.
But kids' reading skills don't have to grow cold once
school's out. Here are some ways to make reading a natural
part of their summer fun:
Explore your library.
Visit your local library to check out books and magazines that your
kids haven't seen before. Many libraries have summer reading
programs, book clubs, and reading contests for even the youngest
borrowers. With a new library card, a child will feel extra
grown-up checking out books.
Read on the road.
Going on a long car trip? Make sure the back seat is stocked with
favorite reads. When you're not at the wheel, read the books
aloud. Get some audiobooks (many libraries have large selections)
and listen to them together during drive time.
Make your own books.
Pick one of your family's favorite parts of summer - whether
it's baseball, ice cream, or the pool - and have your child
draw pictures of it or cut out pictures from magazines and
catalogs. Paste the pictures onto paper to make a booklet and write
text for it. When you're done, read the book together. Reread
it whenever you need to fend off the cold-weather blahs!
Keep in touch.
Kids don't have to go away to write about summer vacation. Even
if your family stays home, they can send postcards to tell
friends and relatives about their adventures. Ask a relative to be
your child's pen pal and encourage them to write each week.
Keep up the reading rituals.
Even if everything else changes during the summer, keep up the
reading routines around your house. Read with your kids every
day - whether it's just before bedtime or under a shady tree on
a lazy afternoon. And don't forget to take a book to the
beach! Just brush the sand off the pages - it's no sweat!
Reviewed by:
Gail S. Diederich, MS
Date reviewed: August 2007
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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