It can be easy to fall into a ‘summer slump’, but summer is a great time for kids to enjoy reading.  Here are some tips we have learned over the years when it comes to keeping the kids reading over the summer break.

Zoobooks Magazine

Library programs or other summer reading programs.

Check to see if your library has any reading programs. This could be anything from reading with a book buddy to a kid’s book club, and most libraries have a summer reading club.  Barnes & Noble also has a summer reading club.

Read together.

Make some time together for reading.  My daughter likes to snuggle and read at night.

Read in fun places.

In the summer, I encourage the kids to bring books wherever they go.  This is my daughter reading at a swim meet, and it is fun to read outdoors, while camping, in the woods, and so on.

Swim Meet

Find reading materials other than books.

There are plenty of other sources of reading for kids to enjoy, like children’s magazines or kid’s cookbooks.

Have kids look through recipe books to pick out a recipe and make something together.  Another great thing about cooking and recipes is that it forces kids to focus and follow directions.

Audio books.

Sometimes kids enjoy listening to an audiobook while they read along.  This has been useful for us especially when it came to a bigger book that was a little intimidating or was a little above reading level.

A book of their own.

My kids love getting a special new book.  Make it a special occasion to take a trip to the bookstore or let them choose something online.

Read a book that has been made into a movie.

This can be an incentive to read a book before or after seeing its movie counterpart.  After seeing the Mr. Popper’s Penguins movie, my daughter was excited to read the book, but it can be fun to read the book first, so you can see how it was interpreted for the movies.

Get your child a book light.

Getting my daughter her first book light took me back to my childhood, reading under the covers at night.  The allure of reading in the dark and even sneaking in some reading time can make reading fun.  I often find my kids sneaking in a book or two after bed, and although they lose a little sleep, they gain a lot as far as fostering a love of reading.  Plus with a book light, they can read outdoors or when they go camping.