Making reading an everyday activity is a fantastic way to keep learning active throughout the entire summer. Reading and comprehension skills are the foundation of success in many subjects and if neglected during the summer, it’s common for students to lose important skills gained in the school year. To avoid the ‘summer slide’, it’s crucial that reading is part of every students’ summer. Even though getting your child to read may be tricky, it certainly isn’t impossible. Try these 10 ways to encourage reading over the summer. Before you know it, it’ll be a fun everyday activity for them to enjoy!
1. Discover a genre your child enjoys
The key to encouraging students to read over the summer is to find a genre or topic they enjoy. This will make reading less of a chore and a lot more fun. Help students find books that relate to an interest they have- this can be sports, mystery, animals or adventure. Letting students choose their own books is also vital to developing strong, self-sufficient readers.
2.Get a library card
Getting students their own library card at your local public library is a great way to encourage reading over the summer. Not only can they go back and choose new books as many times as they want, it’s free and there’s a huge selection of books of all genres to choose from. Encourage your child to explore and get inspired. Remember, they don’t have to stick to fiction- let them choose their favourites even if it’s non-fiction, comics and magazines- there’s no such thing as bad reading. Doing this may even help convert the most unenthusiastic readers.
3.Make reading an everyday activity
Making reading an everyday activity is an easy way for it become a regular habit. Try having a dedicated reading hour every day or if it’s been a busy day for the family, just 20 minutes before bed still counts! It’s also a great idea to make sure your child also packs a book wherever they go- you’ll be surprised at how many opportunities they’ll have to pick it up and read! Whether it’s in the car or waiting for an appointment, it’s more beneficial than screen time.
4. Listen to audiobooks
For students that are auditory learners, audiobooks are a fantastic alternative to reading and can still help improve comprehension skills. If your child prefers audiobooks, remember, it’s still important for them to read a book a couple of times a week.
5. Make a summer reading list
Once your child knows what kind of books they’re interested in reading, help them create a summer reading list. Choose 5-10 books from the list and create a reading chart they can use to track their summer reading progress. You could even have a small incentive for when they reach their goal. Keeping track can make the reading process even more fun and be incentive to pick up a book even when they don’t feel like it.
6. Visit a bookshop
Visiting a bookstore with your child and letting them pick out one book as a special summer treat can really get them excited about reading. Bookshops can also be very inspiring places as there are usually lots of genres and sections to browse that can even spark new interests.
7. Read everything
Encourage your child to read anything they can out loud to you. This can be a restaurant menu, a recipe, websites, instructions or signs at a public place you’re visiting. It’s all great practice and gets them used to reading anything.
8. Discuss what your child is reading
When your child is reading independently, take the time to discuss with them what they’re reading. They will not only enjoy you taking an active interest and re-telling the story in their own words, it’s also an excellent way for you to monitor how well they’re understanding the book. Ask about the characters, what problems they’re facing and any new words they’ve stumbled upon.
9. Find a book series
An easy way to get students reading throughout the summer is to help them find a book series they’ll enjoy. Having multiple books that continue a story will keep the reading process enjoyable, and even better- you don’t have to worry about what book is next. As soon as students start getting involved with the story and characters, we guarantee they’ll be excited to read the next one in the series.
10. Take part in theSummer Reading Challenge
Why not get involved in our fantastic Summer Reading Challenge? We provide a challenge reading list, worksheets for each book, and it’s an easy way to ensure students’ reading and writing skills are always improving throughout long summer break.
