My first son has loved reading since day one. When he was little he would bring me piles of books and beg for me to read as many of them as possible. When he learned to read he would often volunteer to read to his younger brother. As he grew older he loved getting lost in large novel series and would sometimes disappear for days at a time lost in a fantasy world his books created for him.
As a mom I love that my son can do that and I try my best to keep a love for books alive with all three of my boys. Sometimes I get moans and groans but they usually don’t last long. Now that summer is just around the corner I’m getting ready to make sure we have another successful summer filled with lots of reading!
This year’s challenge theme is “Power Up & Read,” encouraging kids to read all summer long and unlock 12 original short stories by bestselling children’s authors as kids reach reading milestones. Scholastic has joined together with ENERGIZER® to power the Summer Reading Challenge and encourage families to find innovative ways to discover the power and joy of reading. Parents can sign up kids beginning May 4, 2015 and runs through September 4, 2015.
Sometimes our kids think no school means no reading. If you have a child who struggles to read or struggles to find enjoyment in reading try these fun and easy tips!
1. Make sure you don’t just have age appropriate books but skill appropriate books. The most important thing to do is making sure your child is reading books that are appropriate to their level but still provide a slight challenge. If a book is too advanced and they spend too much time struggling it will be hard for them to find it enjoyable.
2. Find new places to read. Books don’t need to be read in the same place. They can be brought anywhere. Have your child look for new places to get comfortable. Since it’s summer see if you can find somewhere to hang a hammock or even build a tree house they can relax in.
3. Visit your local library. Sometimes kids need a field trip to get excited. Many children’s libraries have regular times scheduled for story time. Librarians are often very helpful helping little ones find books that interest them and showing them how to discover new authors they might enjoy.
4. Find books that are funny and make them laugh. Gavin has to read a funny book. Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid were the first series that really helped him find reading enjoyable and not just an assignment.
5. Sign up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge! The Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge™ is a free online reading program for children. It helps us track and log everything but most important it challenges them to read more. When I have all the boys sign up they even become a little competitive on who can read more.
Resources from other Scholastic Parents:
- Books Guaranteed to Make You Laugh
- Get Your Child to Have Fun Reading
- Hilarious Board Books by Jim Benton
- Funny Books for Tweens
ABOUT THE ENERGIZER INSTANT WIN GAME
Energizer® and Scholastic are partnering to create the “Power the Possibilities” campaign which gives moms the tools they need to unlock their child’s talents, fuel their ambitions and set them up for future success. Starting May 4, 2015, parents can buy any specially marked pack of Energizer® brand batteries to scratch for a chance to win one of thousands of prizes that will power discovery and learning.
Prizes include a family trip to New York City, a Scholastic Study Corner Makeover, a tablet with Scholastic apps, a library of Scholastic books and more! Everyone who plays can also download free digital stories for their family.
FIND OUT MORE
- Sign up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge
- Find more Scholastic Resources to keep your kids reading all summer long!
- Learn more about the Energizer® Instant Win Game
- Follow @Scholastic on Twitter
- Like the Energizer® Bunny on Facebook
- #SummerReading
Our local library has a summer reading program that we get the kids involved in, they love reading during the summer. I love the tip about finding new places to read!
The summer reading program at our library is just about to start, so these are great tips!
I grew up reading, and I always read so many fun books all summer. Getting fun books that a child loves to read is a good idea, and taking the books wherever the child goes, like outside in a tent, makes reading fun. I always got my son and daughter into a reading program at the library!
i always loved reading and tried to instill that in my kids,,nope didnt happen,,they had to be forced to read what they needed too for school,and now one of the grandkids are the same way,,ive tried everything,,cant understand where my love for reading didnt get passed on to the kids
Thanks for these tips! I’m going to try and get my sister back into reading this summer!
My middle grandson lives with me and his mom. I am his grandmother and I read to him or his mom does every other week when we have him before he goes to bed. We have to laugh because he loves books and many times we will see him pretending he is reading to a “class” and then showing them the pictures in the book. He goes to preschool and when they read to him that’s how they do it. I hope he continues to love books because I see kids who love books doing so much better in school than those who don’t.
Awww that is super sweet!
That is so great to see that your son has such a love for books! I know another great thing that I did as a kid was to participate in reading programs through the library as well as Barnes and Noble in which in return for reading a list of books, I was awarded with a free book. I think this can entice kids to work towards a goal and get a reward-an educational reward.
Our libraries have great summer reading programs with prizes for reading.
Going to our local library always gets my grandsons excited to read! They love choosing and picking out a new book to read.
I need to sign up at my library. They have prizes for all ages.