With school over for the summer, the challenge for most parents lies in finding fun ways to keep your kids’ brains engaged.
While kids may resist the idea of spending their much-anticipated summer break learning, keeping up some sort of momentum in education will be super beneficial come the start of the semester.
Summer reading is a great compromise. With so many fun and engaging books out there, reading doesn’t ever need to be boring. We’ve got some great tips that’ll help get your kids excited about reading this summer — minimal effort required!
How to make kids excited about summer reading
Give them books they’re excited to read
It may sound obvious, but if your kids have a hand in choosing the books they read, they’ll be way more likely to pick them up unprompted.
Why not start with something easy like Roald Dahl’s BFG, then follow it up with the eternal favorite, Harry Potter? For older readers, we’ve got a worksheet bundle on Jane Austen’s Emma, which will really help them unpack the novel’s themes.
Read aloud together
Reading books together is especially helpful for younger readers, who might have difficulty focusing on text for an extended time.
And make it fun! Use voices for different characters, and take turns reading a page each. It’s still important for kids to have some solo reading time, but this is a great way to keep up the energy.
Set a good example
If your kids see you enjoying a book, they’ll be way more excited about doing it themselves.
Why not try and set aside a block of time each night, where you all sit on the couch and read? And if you keep reading material around the house that you dip in and out of, you remind your kids that reading is a fun and important part of everyday life — not just a school assignment.
Take trips to the library
Libraries show your kids that there’s a whole world of possibility when it comes to reading material.
Let them browse the shelves and find something that speaks to them. If your children don’t seem interested at all, maybe have a chat with the librarian together. They’re always full of great recommendations and have a special skill for getting kids excited about books.
Forget about the length or format
If your child really doesn’t want to read novels, that’s totally okay. Maybe start them out with a graphic novel, blog, or magazine.
Not everyone has the same affinity for reading, so it’s a good idea to experiment with different formats — as long as they’re reading or engaging with something, then they’re making progress. Chances are they’ll naturally progress from graphic novels to chapter books anyway.
Audiobooks
While they shouldn’t serve as a replacement, audiobooks are a great way to supplement physical books.
For kids who struggle to get into reading, you can agree that one day they listen to the audiobook chapter, and then the next day they read the book themselves. Audiobooks are also excellent for car trips, or to listen to while doing chores around the house.
Discuss books together when they finish
Reading helps your child to see new perspectives, and experience things they might not otherwise be exposed to — and that’s a lot to take in! So it’s a good idea to talk through what they’ve absorbed from a book, to help cement their understanding.
Once your child finishes a book, start a natural discussion with them about it — you can usually find a synopsis or talking points online to help you out. Not only will it help them to process what they’ve learned, but it will also help them build confidence in forming and voicing opinions.
Book series are your friend
If your child reads the first Harry Potter book and gets hooked, that’s great news. There are six more books to get through, and they’ve already invested in the story so they’ll naturally just want to keep reading.
For younger readers, series like Goosebumps, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or Captain Underpants have plenty of books that’ll get them in the habit of reading regularly.
Make it a social thing
Why not form a little book club with your child’s friends from school or the neighborhood?
Adding a social element to reading will help motivate them to actually do it, plus it’s always good for kids to be able to discuss a book after finishing it. You could even organize a book club with other parents as well, and all meet at the same time as the kids.
Build it into your routine
Unless your children love reading and do it without being told, it’s a good idea to set aside a half-hour each day just for reading. Kids thrive off routine, particularly in the summer holidays when time stretches endlessly without the structure of school.
Let them dictate the time of day, so they feel more included, but you can mix it up a bit to keep it fresh. Some days you could read in the park, some days on the couch, some days at a coffee shop or by the local pool.
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