Summer Reading
06/05/2024
Summer Reading
While summer vacation often tends to be taken up by getaways and events. But this summer, why not make it a priority for you and your family to read? It’s important to instill in your children a passion for reading that will last them into adulthood. Below are some ways you can encourage your children – and yourselves! – to read more this summer.
- Read Before Bed
Reading before bed is an excellent way to wind down from a busy day. Studies show that reducing screen time before bed leads to better sleep. If you incorporate reading into your nighttime routine for just twenty or thirty minutes, it could not only have positive health benefits, but help your children get to their reading goal at the same time. Another fun thing to do would be to reverse the roles and have your children read to you!
- Have Your Children See You Read
Reading shouldn’t be viewed as a chore. So, if you are having trouble getting your family excited to read, let them see you enjoy the activity. Incorporate reading into your own self-care routine to show your family that reading is relaxing and fun.
- Keep a Loose Reading Schedule
With the rest of our lives blocked out by work and appointments, it can be easy to start treating reading as work, too. Instead of having a rigid schedule for when you and your family read, let your day guide you. Get creative with how you fit it into your busy schedule.
- Create Reading Time Opportunities
Use reading as an opportunity to spend quality time together. You could do this by scheduling a reading picnic or taking a family trip to the library. Your local library also usually has fun activities to take part in!
- Go on a StoryWalk
Check your area to see if any parks are hosting StoryWalks. How it works is the park will set up pages of a book along a trail for families to walk through and read together. These are an excellent way to get everyone outside, active, and reading all at the same time.
- Write and Read Your Own Book
For a more creative family activity, write and read your own book! Encourage everyone to come up with a plot and characters and then write them on some paper with fun illustrations. When it is complete, bind it and read it together.
Reading has many benefits for children and adults alike. For children, encouraging regular reading helps it to become a lifelong habit. Hopefully some of these ideas will help the whole family make reading a regular activity this summer break.
Sources:
https://libguides.ala.org/summer-reading/benefits
https://childmind.org/article/how-to-keep-kids-reading-this-summer/