Ways to help your kids WANT to read

“I want to build a treehouse and a rope latter”, yelled our 8 year old as he ran down the stairs.   He had just finished up the latest chapter of his favorite book, The Magic Treehouse.   He ran to grab paper and a pencil and start designing his treehouse.   Books do this to kids… inspire them.    Finding a book that a child loves opens their eyes to a whole new world.  I am partnering with Scholastic today to share more reading ideas with you.  They were kind enough to send us some goodies and we can’t wait to share them with you.

Summer is a great time to get outside and explore, but it is also a perfect time to sprinkle in some great learning opportunities.  Studies show that when kids read for fun over the summer, they are more likely to maintain and or increase core learning skills, which will help them when back to school time rolls around.   The best part about summer, is that learning can be integrated into everything kids love to do including:  camping, picnics, games and hanging with friends.

Try some of these fun summer activities:

• Take Reading Outdoors — When the weather gets hot, head outdoors with your favorite books. Bring a picnic blanket, some snacks and enjoy a reading picnic under your favorite tree, or wait for the sun to go down and take out the flashlights and sleeping bags for a fun (or spooky) camping and reading under the stars party.

• Go on a Reading Scavenger Hunt – Who doesn’t like a fun game and challenge to play. Create a summer reading scavenger hunt for your kids and spend the summer searching for the words.   Think about words you see frequently on sign posts, store fronts, at the grocery store or around town.  Create a list, laminate it, and take it with you wherever you go.   Kids will be super excited when they see the word and can check it off their list.

• Cooked From a Book — Books inspire many things, including cooking. Children’s books are especially packed with pictures, characters and scenes that can inspire wonderful recipes.  Get reading and get cooking.  Read a book about apples and try baking an apple pie, or read a book that takes place in Italy and create an Italian-themed meal.   Want to get more inspired to cook from a book.  Check out these books and recipes.

• Host a Book Party — Summer is a perfect time to host a fun backyard party – and why not theme it around favorite books. Invite the neighborhood kids to join your summer book club and have each of them bring a book they love.  Let the kids talk about the book, get up on stage and give a book talk, and share why they loved it – and maybe some of the kids will want to do swap books with a friend.  Sharing what you are reading is a wonderful way to be introduced to new books.   Click here for tips on giving a great book talk.

• Make it count – What child doesn’t love a challenge! Create a family challenge to see how many books or reading minutes your family can read this summer.   If you reach the family goal, celebrate with a trip to the ice cream store, a bike ride or a family movie night.  Kids can also have fun tracking their reading minutes online at the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge site, where they can log minutes and unlock fun rewards – and it is all free.  Check it out and see how many minutes you can read!

Happy Summer Reading!

Here are a few more ideas: