Summer vacation is in full swing and fun is about the only thing on kids’ minds right now! They’ve ditched their textbooks and want nothing more than to turn their brains off for the Summer. But did you know that losses to learning or reading skills during the summer months are cumulative and your child could be two years behind in reading once they hit middle school?
Scholastic is a well known name in many schools and households and they want to bridge that reading gap so they’ve created the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge? and it’s free for children everywhere to join. Kids will read and log their minutes all summer long and the minutes will add up. Last year’s record was 176,438,473 and we’re almost there already this year – at over 150,000,000 minutes. That’s simply amazing!
Getting your kids to want to read during the summer can be challenging for some, so I wanted to share some tips that are sure to get your kiddos to pick up a book!
5 Ways to Get Your Kids to Read this Summer
1. Get them their own library card
If your child doesn’t already have their own library card, make a date to visit the library together to get them their very own library card. They’ll be excited to be able to check books out themselves. If they’re older and already have a library card, then drop them off at the library with a friend. Things are always more fun when your friends are involved!
2. Pick up books that interest your child
A book that interests them will pique their curiosity more than one on a topic they don’t care so much for. Know your child’s interests and base the books that you buy them off of that, or better yet, let them choose their own books!
3. Find a comfortable, relaxing and peaceful spot for them to read
Whether it’s inside or out, the perfect spot can make reading much more enjoyable. My kids love to read outside. They’ll lie in the hammock or on a blanket under their favorite tree and read – sometimes for hours! Smaller kids might appreciate their very own “reading corner” with comfy pillows or a bean bag chair.
4. Offer Incentives for them to read.
No, I’m not talking bribery! In elementary school, the kids would get tickets to Great America for a certain amount of minutes read. If they met a certain goal each month, they’d get a free personal pizza from Pizza Hut. You could do something similar at home. Set goals and offer incentives for reaching them – such as ice cream, lunch at their favorite restaurant or a special treat from the store.
5. Host a Reading Party
Invite some of their friends over for a reading party. You could pick a theme, such as Scholastic’s “
Reading Under the Stars” (powered by EVEREADY?) theme and grab flashlights, bookmarks and fun treats for the kids. Like I said above, things are always more fun when friends are involved!
There is an entire website dedicated to the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge? and it can excite and engage your kids in many ways. They can log the amount of minutes they’ve read to earn badges and prizes. We just started with Lil Man and from the image below, you can see that he’s read 35 minutes and needs to read another 100 minutes to unlock the badge for this week.
There are also interactive games that he can play and earn virtual prizes for doing reading quizes, text/word challenges and so much more. Kids can put their school information in when they sign up and their school can earn real prizes too!
So what are you waiting for? Get your summer reading on!
Connect with Scholastic and the Summer Reading Challenge:
Like the Summer Reading Challenge YouTube Playlist
