3 Ways to Make Summer Reading More Fun
You love it or you hate it; but no matter your feelings on it, summer reading is coming! Whether through your school or library (or your own creation), keeping your child reading through the summer months is a great way to keep their brain working and growing without the structure of school.
Looking for more creative ways to keep your child’s brain sharp and active this summer? Check out this post!
Why Is Summer Reading Important?
Research continues to show that reading is one of the best ways to gain knowledge, keep your brain active, and experience academic success. The “summer slide” contributes to a lot of frustration and feelings of falling behind as the school year restarts in the fall. Reading over the summer lessens this loss of progress so your child feels more confident and successful from day 1!
Especially if your child struggles with reading, it is even more important to keep the momentum going even after school ends.
According to a 3-year study conducted by Dominican University, kids who participate in summer reading programs scored higher on beginning-of-year reading achievement tests. These students also experienced greater reading achievement all year long than kids who did not participate.
Here are 3 Ways to Make Summer Reading More Enjoyable for Your Family:
Whether you have an avid reader or a reluctant one, here are 3 ways to make this year’s summer reading experience more fun and exciting for everyone!
#1: Set Mini-Goals (And Celebrate Them!)
It’s not bribery, it’s rewards. 😉
Giving your child incentives to read a certain number of pages per day, a certain number of books per week, or to complete a certain number of minutes of effort can help them stay motivated. Depending on your child’s age, you can use a sticker chart, a goal-setting app, or some other creative way to track progress through the summer.
After these mini-goals, go out for ice cream or celebrate in your own way! Keeping this low pressure and goal-focused is a great way to remove the stress that can surround summer reading.
#2: Choose Funny Books or Books on Topics Your Kids Love
According to research cited by the New York State Library, “A successful reading experience, which may include voluntary, self-selected, and high-interest books, can help develop reading proficiency.”
You can check out our Pinterest board for some age-appropriate and topical reading lists, or talk to your librarian! They are the experts when it comes to what books are appropriate and interesting for kids like yours, and they may know about some hidden gems your child will love.
Ultimately, the goal of summer reading is to develop a life-long love of reading and keep your child’s brain active. This isn’t the time to force heavy academic reading burdens; instead, keep it light and fun (or focused on whatever hobbies your kids are digging right now).
#3: Get the Whole Family Involved
That’s right, parents… time to get reading! Reading as an adult is one of the best ways to prevent cognitive decline and keep your brain sharp. Set your own goals along with your child so they can see you modeling the effort all summer long.
The more your child sees you reading for “fun,” the more interested they will be as well. Hold each other accountable for your summer reading goals throughout the season. Your kids will LOVE asking you if you’ve reached your page count, and it may just drive them to try to beat you by reading more!
Is Reading Always a Fight with Your Kids?
It could be because of weak cognitive skills that are making reading harder (and less enjoyable) than it could be. If your child consistently:
- Struggles to sound out unfamiliar words
- Doesn’t recognize familiar words, even if they just read it a couple sentences before
- Takes a long time to stumble through sentences (and often loses the meaning)
- Struggles with reading comprehension
It may be time to look into their cognitive skills to see what could be holding them back. Reading is a complex process that requires all areas of your brain to work together, and if there’s a disconnect they are going to continue to struggle more than necessary.
Research has shown that reading struggles don’t just “go away.” Your child doesn’t just outgrow it. Instead, appropriate and early intervention is the best way to give them the cognitive tools they need to succeed!
Learn more about how brain training has helped struggling readers gain 3+ years in a short amount of time here!
If you know your child is struggling and you want to get to the root cause of why the reading struggles are happening in the first place, give us a call. We’d love to hear your story and share how understanding cognitive skills can open doors to easier reading for life!
