5 Ways To Get Your Children To Read This Summer

   Its that time of year when you start to think about what your children are going to do all summer. We do a lot of water (in all ways shapes and forms), lots of outdoors, and LOTS OF BOOKS.


Here are five ways to make reading a top occupation for your children this summer.

1.   Have books available everywhere. 
          In homeschooling this is called "strewing." Casually leave books all around the house. On the kids beds, in the bathroom, at the kitchen table, out on the patio. Be creative! If you leave interesting books around, I promise you, the kids will bite.


2.   Bring books in the car.
         Have a designated box of car books. Change them out every month of so.

3.   Make trips to the library a weekly occurrences.
         We have one specific day of the week when we go to the library. The girls know this is going to be a couple hour trip so they are relaxed and in a gentle mood the whole time. Our library limit is 50 books and we ALWAYS check EXACTLY 50 out. This includes my book, as well as both girls books, and any movies we might be getting. It makes returns easy since you can count them up.


4.   Start a weekly book gift tradition!
         During the summer, once a week, wrap up a new (or thrifted!) book for each child and let them open it before bed. This is a HUGE hit in our home.

5.   Read yourself!
          I think this is the single most important thing you can do if you want your children to be readers. Let them see you reading to yourself, enjoying reading, making it an important part of your life. During the girls afternoon break, I almost always read for one to two hours. The girls see me making this a priority and they then make reading important to them.