Encouraging Your Kids to Read This Summer, Part 2

Posted on 03/11/2022

young girl immersed in large book that she is reading

Hopefully, as you begin to celebrate reading (see Part 1), those bookcases in your child's room will start to look less like strongholds of enemy armies to be conquered and more like vacation resorts where they can meet new people and have new adventures. You may keep the dust bunnies in their slumber even longer by cultivating a culture that values reading.

Availability

When school is out, do your kids have access to age-appropriate books? Of course, you may borrow them for free from your local library, and there are online and offline outlets for both used and new books. Are you, however, making such resources available to your children?

You can participate in weekly summer reading sessions or bookshop outings. To get started, you may set up a "summer book budget" for your child or reward him or her to a one-time "book shopping spree." Whatever method you use, make sure your children have access to high-quality books that match their interests and reading/maturity levels.

young happy girl reading large green book

Variety

You want to appeal to your children's interests and inclinations, but you also want to provide some variety - a variety of genres, authors, and reading levels (within their abilities, of course). Some books are written for simply pleasure or to entertain, while others are written to offer moral lessons or to provide information.

Analyzing opinion pieces challenges older children and teens to use higher-order thinking skills that are crucial for the maturation process. All literature has value, from true-life adventure stories to first-hand battle narratives to nonsensical poetry and comic books, and children need to be exposed to a variety of genres.

brother and sister playing on the floor in the living room

Priority

Many parents reward their children with 5-10 minutes of "screen time" for each hour or half-hour of reading, and this appears to help them prioritize reading over electronics. It can, however, give the wrong message, implying that reading is a chore and that electronics are what really matters.

Perhaps it's best to limit technology use to specified times and places, and make reading books your family's go-to activity for waiting periods, pleasure, and engagement. When you're in the car, your family could read a book together or listen to an audio book. You'll be interacting on a more intentional level as you discuss (and potentially debate) various aspects of it.

Parents who make a point of making a wide selection of books available to their children and who prioritize books over other media are significantly more likely to respect concepts, teachings, and beauty that are timeless. Finally, you're exposing your children to a world that few others their age have experienced, putting them in a strategic position of influence as they grow older.

Continue reading with Part 3.

grandfather reading a book to two young girls

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