Kids are excited for the summer months, and chances are, you are as well. Barbecues, vacations and family outings are abound during this downtime and that can mean a lot of fun for the entire family. But that may also mean downtime from education and from reading. Since kids are not in school, they may not be prompted to read as much. Whether it is because they are too tempted to play outdoors, or because they don’t want to feel like they are in school, it is still important as a parent to make sure that kids continue to read.
Two months may not seem like a long time, but it absolutely is for kids. Their minds are constantly developing, absorbing information from the world around them and assimilating what they know and experience into usable knowledge. It is vital that kids continue to read over the summer in order to retain and increase their reading level come the following school year. Your kids may want to play outside more, but there are ways to entice kids to read that makes them forget they are even reading.
The first thing you have to do is make the reading feel less like work. Kids who like to read for recreation have shown to have a significantly higher love of learning. This keenness to read also helps kids understand new concepts they learn in school and as they get older. If your child feels that reading is like “school work” then you can show them how fun reading really is by getting them their very own personalized story. Our personalized books for kids make each child the STAR of their very own story.
Plan family outings that are educational as well as fun. Visit historical landmarks, telling your children what they may find there and what happened. Have them read the historical plaques out loud and ask them what they think happened and why. Visit the museum and do the same. Making a day trip out of it can make learning seem more like fun than work. Engage your kids in reading and critical thinking skills by asking them fun questions about what they did and learned on vacation.
Reading to them nightly can also be a great help. Have them read along and ask them questions about the story or each chapter before saying good night. This makes the act of reading not only a shared experience, but it seems more fun when they are being read to. Ask them to read parts to you. Asking them to answer questions about the story and about what parts they liked and didn’t like help their listening and reading comprehension skills, keeping it sharp for when school starts again.
Even engaging in arts and crafts activities can help keep kids engaged. A hands-on activity with an end goal in mind helps keep kids’ minds working and thinking. Ask them to write poems or blurbs about what they made and why. You can also have them write stories, whether they are about their vacations, what they did that day, or a story they made up entirely on their own. Writing skills are linked directly with reading and require an active imagination as well. Make learning and reading fun by crafting interactive things for your kids to do. It will not only keep them up to speed for the following school year, but it will also keep their summer days full and fun.
KD Novelties publishes personalized children’s books to make reading fun and create a unique experience for kids. For more resources about reading for kids visit the KD Novelties blog and subscribe.
