A child's summer vacation is often full of playing with friends, swimming, and yes, even video games. By the time they return to school in the fall, often, children have regressed a bit in the learning process. One way to prevent this is to encourage your children to include reading in their summer activities. Children who enjoy reading will have no problem adding some reading time in, but there are many who would rather watch grass grow than read a book. So here are a few tips for encouraging those reluctant readers:
- Check with your library for a summer reading program. Many local libraries offer incentives for reading throughout the summer. If your library does not have a program, create one of your own. Award points or small prizes for each book read or for a certain amount of time spent reading.
- Find books that the child can relate to. If your child enjoys dinosaurs, bring them to the library and find some books on dinosaurs, or whatever topic interests them. There are also books about kids dealing with different health issues from asthma to diabetes to celiac disease; and more that deal with all sorts of living situations from divorce to siblings with drug abuse issues to pregnancy. If your child is in one of these situations, see what books are available for them.
- Create a place where the child can go to read. This could be a comfy nook tucked away in a corner of the playroom or a special spot under a favorite tree. If it is an indoor location, be sure there are plenty of books available nearby for them to choose from.
- Read with them. Have them read aloud to you for a few paragraphs and then you take a turn reading to them. This not only encourages reading, but also allows for some one-on-one bonding.
For more ideas, you can find links to additional blog postings at TwitterMoms.
Disclaimer- I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an "I Can Read!" book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
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