Students are more successful when they don't take extended periods of time off from reading. The International Reading Association (IRA) has a study that states that students who do not read over the summer loose as much as 60% of their reading skills. Parents can use these simple suggestions to make summer reading enjoyable.
Family Reading Club
Families can create their own reading clubs. For families with children at many different reading levels, each person reads books at his/her own level. Goals are set based on the number of pages or books to be read weekly. Each family member that reaches his/her goal for the week, receives a small prize. A large prize or special event could be planned for those family members that reach their goals monthly. A further challenge could be posed by giving a prize for the family member who reads the most pages beyond his goal.
For families with older children all reading at similar levels, a book is selected by the family. Everyone in the family reads the book (libraries are good sources of multiple copies of a book). After a predetermined length of time when everyone has finished the book, a special dinner could be planned to discuss the book. At the discussion the next book for family reading should be announced. Family members should take turns selecting the books to be read so everyone has a chance to read something he/she would personally select.
Cooking Based on Books
Many books lend themselves to cooking. Historical foods could be cooked to go along with a historical story. Some books actually have recipes in them. Recipes could also be researched on line that the author or characters may have eaten. For fantasy or fiction books that take place in strange new lands, foods could be created that the characters may have eaten.
The cooking can be as simple as making Green Eggs and Ham [Random House, 1988] to go with the story of the same title. A more elaborate yet fun example from Dr. Seuss is making butter to go with the Butter Battle Book [Random House, 1984]. Heavy whipping cream should be placed in a clean jar. The jar is tightly sealed and shaken until most of the liquid has disappeared and a ball of butter is formed. The butter can then be enjoyed.
Creating a Visual Display of Books Read
A visual representation of the books read during the summer gives everyone a sense of accomplishment. At the beginning of the summer decide on the method of representing books read. One popular way is to create a reading quilt. The quilt can be made of paper or of fabric. Each time someone reads a book, he creates a quilt square for the book. The square should include the title and author of the book. The reader can choose his favorite character or story event and create a square to go with it.
Read Across America
Another fun way to visually display books read is through a map. For the challenge one mile can represent one page or one book depending on the length of the books read. Each person chooses a different colored pin and marker. His pin starts in California and the challenge is to read all the way to New York. The person farthest each week wins a prize with a big prize awarded to the person who is the closest to New York at the end.
Finding ways to keep kids excited about reading in the summer can be difficult. But using a few simple fun tricks and even the most unmotivated reader will find summer reading fun.
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