Our kids are growing up in a very different world than we did. Never has that been more apparent than this summer, when we’re not even sure if we should venture out for vacations, staycations, or even a trip to the community pool.
There is one thing that’s stayed the same, however; one thing that neither time nor technology, video game, nor virus can change…and that’s the joy of reading.
When I was a young girl growing up in the military, I had two kinds of summer vacations depending on where we were stationed. Either (literally) camped out on a beach searching for shells and riding the waves for days, or camped out in my room exploring the shores of Prince Edward Island with my bosom friend, Anne of Green Gables.
It was no contest: I was happiest in both places.
Books have a treasured way of engaging us in their world. And while teachers and librarians will encourage and applaud you for providing your kids year-round learning opportunities and saving them from the dreaded “summer slide” (you don’t have to Google far to find the many proven benefits of summer reading programs), I will add to that a long list of book friends and adventures lived, cultures engaged and global perspectives expanded, that have all shaped me into the person I am today.
Make it fun!
Put up a tent in your backyard, build a fort in your living room, throw some beanbag chairs in the playroom, and create fun, engaging spaces for your kids to get away from it all while adventuring the world and, yes, making new friends while reading.
Or use this Indoor Reading Bingo Card to inspire you!
Plus, a list of virtual summer reading programs provided by your local libraries:
Frisco Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge
Plano Public Library Virtual Summer Learning
McKinney Public Library Summer Reading Program
Register in Beanstack for the reading challenge and earn virtual badges along the way!
Earn badges all summer long!
And here is a list of summer reading reward programs offered online:
Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza
Half-Price Books Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program
Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program and Give-Away
Books-A-Million Summer Reading Adventure
Children’s Summer Reading Challenge for Picky Readers
I hope for every kid to have a similar experience with books that I did while I was growing up…and still do every day. But this will only happen when we commit as parents, caregivers, educators, and community partners to find new and fun ways to get books into their hands over the summer—and not just any book—the books they want to read. Let them explore with their summer reading!
And when your kiddos reach a new goal with their summer reading?
Celebrate!
Applaud them with a special treat—go out for ice cream, cook a favorite meal, host a picnic or movie night with friends. Make it fun AND rewarding, because when kids fall in love with books, they don’t just maintain their literacy skills, they try something new…and they enjoy doing it.
When I was 10 my family moved into a house where the previous tenant had left boxes and boxes of books in the attic. I spent countless hours in there, reading Pilgrim’s Progress, Things Fall Apart, Pride and Prejudice and many more. As a young girl in Africa, my eyes were opened to many different worlds. Especially now, while our movement is limited, what better way to travel to distant lands!