12 Ways to Encourage More Reading Time

While everyone loves to relax in the summer heat and have lots of fun, it is also a time where our learning can slow down or stop completely. This phenomena is called the “summer slide”. While this is something we all should avoid, we’ve come up with some ways to keep learning while still having lots of fun and enjoying the summer!

Play Dreamscape

Play this highly-engaging game that focuses on the foundations of reading skills. Your child will build their own dwell within the Dreamscape world. In order to build and protect their dwell from opponents, they have to answer reading comprehension and grammar questions!

Dreamscape also has seasons! Seasons are special events that run a few times throughout the calendar year. During seasons, Dreamscape players are challenged to answer a set number of comprehension questions correctly to earn season rewards. At the end of a season, the rewards are locked away, sometimes never to be seen again. Check out why seasons are so important here!

Set Reading Goals – together!

How do you convince your kids to read this summer? The first step to get them excited is to make summer reading goals! If goals are set for  a certain number of books, pages, or minutes read. Add in a potential reward, this is a great incentive to make them want to read. The more your children set goals for themselves, the more likely they will be to want to achieve them!

Keep track of summer reading progress

Creating a calendar or journal to record goal progress is a great way to keep children striving to reach their goals! These progress calendars can be made into all types of fun shapes or designs to make them fun and interesting. If your child loves France, then it could be in the design of the Eiffel Tower and every goal you complete you can color it in bit by bit!

Set Aside Time for Reading Everyday

For yourself and your children, it is important to be a role model for them during their progress. If they see that you are reading with them, it helps them stick to their goals and continue reading! Working this into your normal routine will help provide consistency.

Consider Offering Incentives

Providing small rewards throughout the summer for reading is a great idea, especially for those who struggle sticking to their goals. Rewards are bigger and more fun incentives that will have all children eager to read! These rewards can be anything of your choosing: special movie time, ice cream, candy, you name it! All of the little things to help your child continue reading makes all the difference.

Dreamscape Incentives – When playing Dreamscape you are able to send digital rewards to your child! You can send weekly customized rewards to celebrate in-game achievements and real world accomplishments!

Visit your library’s storytelling hour

If your library offers special storytelling hours throughout the week or month, try brining your kids to help them connect with others and grow their passion for reading! Being able to browse different genre’s of books to find out what might interest your child the most, and letting them pick out the books they read is a great way to let them become independent and strong readers. As well, these storytelling hours offer a wide variety of reading material, exposing your children to more of the world!

Read books out loud as a family

Reading books together is a great way to bond with your children and offer them a chance to connect with you and grow stronger bonds to reading. Children as well love to talk about everything they are up to, so reading with them can become a great way for you and your child to have more to talk about, and connect with them! Sharing your favorite quotes or parts of the book is always fun to talk about!

Pro Tip: Find a chapter book you can read together or a storybook they can read on their own!

Take books on the road

Most likely you and your family have plans to travel this summer, so why not bring some books along to pass the time! Audio books are also great for those who get motion sickness, and this will keep your children excited to be reading while doing it through their technology! Road trips offer a great chance for your children to read and fall in love with the books they are reading.

Read the Book, then Watch the Movie Together

You might be surprised at how many movies are modeled after books! After you have read a book together or your child has finished the book they are reading, see if there is a movie version and watch that together! You can invite friends and family, and make it a special time and reward for your children finishing the books they are reading.

Keep a reading blog

As a way to track completed reading, children can do book report blog posts, or recount the book they read in fun facts or notes to remind them of how the book was later on! It is always fun to look back and see the progress you have made, and a blog is the perfect way to do that! This is especially true if your children can do so on a computer where they get to use technology and connect it to their reading.

Host a Fun Book-Themed Party and Invite your Neighborhood

You could host a themed party depending on the age of your children and what books they enjoy! If there are other children in the neighborhood around the same age as your children, this is a great way for them to connect over a shared interest and find joy in reading. Parties can be a fun way to bring books to life as you create games, food and a party centered around the theme or characters of the book.

Read in fun places

Making reading a special activity can become a great way for your children to be independent and have their own special place to read so that it becomes more personal and fun for them! Whether in a blanket fort or their own office depending on their age, having a space to be alone and connect deeply with the book is a great way for them to grow as a reader.

Bonus: Here are two more ideas to keep your children reading all year.

Find a Series you Enjoy Together

Some authors write several books in a series that have the same characters. Your child might enjoy a similar writing style and characters! Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Llama Llama and Harry Potter are just a few!

Learn about a specific author

If reading is becoming a series hobby for your children, try to devote time to reading books written by the same author! This can be fun for children of all ages. Younger kids can learn about picture books and take joy from an authors artistic view, while older kids can gain insight into an authors life and interests to make personal connections with the author and material! You may also do some research into your own favorite author and share with your children how you connect with them, to make your children more excited to be reading books made by a singular author whom they connect with.

Reference for page visit https://www.imaginelearning.com/blog/2019/05/12-ways-keep-students-reading-summer

About Julie Osterhout

Julie Osterhout is a former teacher in the elementary setting with a focus on ELA. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and two children.