Encourage summer reading every day. Photo bapdk on Flickr
It’s difficult to get children reading over the summer when they have problems reading at school. But not reading isn’t an option.
"By middle school, (losses from not reading) produce a cumulative lag of two or more years, which accounts for 80 to 100 percent of the achievement gap between low- and middle-income students," says reading expert, Richard Allington, in an article on BNET.
Don’t let this happen to your kids, who worked hard to attain their reading skills this year.
Read to them
I hated reading when I was young and I was bad at it. I’d spend hours struggling over words. And don’t even talk to me about summarizing “The Littles.” But something must have happened between then and when I took the ACT in high school, because out of all the sections, I scored highest in reading.
The only thing I can think of (besides the risk of low grades) that got me interested in books was my mom. She read to me every night before bed, and probably read my AP English books to help me make sense of them. If you realize your child is really into a particular book, try getting them to read a line or paragraph. It’s like sneaking in vegetables at dinner.
Acknowledge the library as the new cool spot
Teens want to be where their friends are. Increasingly, I’ve noticed my niece wanting to go to the library not just to work on a major project, but to do homework or hang out with her friends. While I do not condone just hanging out at the library, it does increase the likelihood of teens reading more. So just make sure they are not being a nuisance and encourage them to check out a book for fun, or join a reading program at the library.
And here’s one new thing you learned this summer just from reading this- according urbandictionary.com, “cool” is still a cool word to say.
Make every excuse possible
Reading can make you better at sports. Reading can show you how to make friends. You have to read to cook. You have to read to drive. You’re sitting on the toilet, why not read?
The trick is to get kids to realize the importance of reading and actually do it without force or nagging. If you don’t feel like ending every conversation with “a good book would show you how to do that,” try putting magazines or books in the car, on a bookshelf in the bedroom, in the bathroom, next to the couch or anywhere people relax frequently.
Be a good example and do your own summer reading. If you don’t know where to start, try reading books on getting your kids to read books! Check out the Milwaukee Children’s Books Examiner for recommended summer reading as well.
For more information on summer reading, visit:
Best Books for Kids Who (Think They) Hate to Read
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