5 Fun Ways to Keep Your Kids Reading this Summer

Few things bring more joy to children and parents alike than the laid-back, schedule-free days of summer. Kids can sleep in and spend their days doing what they want when they want to do it.  There are no teachers, no deadlines, and no assignments.  Unfortunately, those heavenly sunny days often mean no reading.  This can lead to an overlooked disadvantage of being out of the classroom for months…the “summer slide”.

Most educators and parents are aware of what has been coined the “summer slide” or a decline in a child’s reading over the summer.

But many parents don’t know their children can lose as much as 20% of their school year gains when they fail to pick up a book over the summer months. 

Getting an unwilling kiddo to read is hard enough during the school year, but how are you supposed to get your kids to pick up a book when it’s no longer part of the nightly homework routine? 

As a mom to four great kids myself, I’ve spent year after year trying to avoid summer learning loss. In fact, that desire is what inspired me to create resources to help parents do the same. 

So if you’re stressing over how to keep your kids’ brains sharp this summer, I’ve got five fun summer reading ideas that will help avoid the summer slide and have your kids begging to read “just one more page” all summer long.

1. Make a Goal to Read Every Day

With just twenty minutes of reading a day your child can maintain their reading levels and avoid significant decline. But if your child isn’t an avid bookworm this may be easier said than done.  

So, help them get excited about it! Make or purchase reward charts that they can use to track their progress every day with stickers or stamps.  

Then, with the help of your child, choose a “prize” they can earn after their chart is full.  Letting your child help choose their reward ensures they stay motivated to reach their goal.  They’ll look forward, every day, to completing their twenty minutes of reading, placing their sticker, and getting closer to their prize. 

If you’ve got competitive kiddos, make it a competition. Have a family reading challenge and get the whole family involved. Your kids’ race to the finish line will also help them learn to be self-motivated to read.  Reward the first and second-place winners with a prize of their choosing.

Before you know it this will be a summer tradition that your children look forward to all year long.

2. Let Them Take the Lead

Allow your children to be the masters of their own reading.

Let them pick a topic they love or are interested in. Then visit the library, local bookstores, and websites to find as many pieces of literature as you can on the subject. Look for things like…

• Books 

• Magazines 

• Graphic novels 

• News articles

• Educational websites  

As a parent, you may find it hard to sit back and let your kids direct their own learning but resist the urge to redirect or judge their reading choices.  

If your six-year-old has a strange fascination with blobfish, go with it. If nothing interests your eleven-year-old but the paranormal, embrace it. Your kids, like you, won’t read something that doesn’t interest them, especially if it’s not required in the classroom.

This can be an incredible opportunity to gain a better understanding of your child’s interests and to learn together. Enjoy it!

3. Read Movies Based on Books

Make a list of movies that are based on books that interest your child and plan a fun movie night once they’ve read the whole thing.     

The promise of a movie night at the end of a book may be just what your child needs to motivate them to get their twenty minutes of reading in a day. And there is a HUGE selection of books that have been adapted for the big screen. 

If you've got little ones who are not yet into chapter books and novels, there are even options for them.  Here’s a short list of film adaptations that your kids will look forward to watching:

• The Cat in the Hat

• Curious George 

• Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

• Clifford, The Big Red Dog

• Where the Wild Things Are

There are even more options for advanced readers. They can pick a series or a stand-alone chapter book. Here are just a few great options: 

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid 

• The Lightning Thief  

• Charlotte’s Web  

• Matilda  

• The Secret Garden

Whatever they choose, you can be sure you’ll enjoy these movies as much as your kids.

4. Feed Their Minds and Their Bellies

Choose a day of the week or the month that is a “Reading and Eating” day. Pick a book to read with food as a theme that can be replicated in your kitchen (or found in a grocery aisle 😉).  Let your kids help you shop for, bake, or prepare the food, and then enjoy it together.

You’ll be surprised at the number of books that have food as a main theme. Here’s a great list of books and food ideas to get you started:

• Green Eggs  and Ham – add green food coloring to scrambled eggs 

• Pancakes, Pancakes! – plan a delicious pancake breakfast 

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner

• The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – track down some Turkish delight

• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – get creative with chocolate bars, bubble gum, and jawbreakers.

• The Harry Potter Series – if you’re feeling really ambitious you can plan a whole meal around these books

Let Google be your guide!  There are hundreds of blogs dedicated to this very thing.  

5. Be Creative and Flexible

If you’re like me, you’ve started every summer with grand ideas of sticker charts, library visits, and family book clubs, but let’s be honest – those ambitions can vanish as quickly as our New Year’s Resolutions.  

So while you read with your kiddo this summer, be patient, creative, and flexible, and think outside the box.  

Don’t get stuck in a rut thinking your child has to read by themselves for twenty minutes a day to avoid the slide.  Reading is reading regardless of where or how they do it.  Try these tips to keep things interesting.

• Take turns reading with parents or siblings

• Watch YouTube videos that read stories 

• Listen to Audiobooks

• Use reading websites like Epic! or Raz-kids

• Read outside or on car rides

• Visit the library during storytime

• Play board games that use reading in the gameplay

• Sign up for summer reading programs at your local library

As you allow yourself to be flexible and exercise patience with your kids they’ll spend less time arguing about reading and more time actually doing it. 

So there you have it!  5 fun reading activities for kids (and their parents) that will help with summer slide prevention and make sure they’re ready when that first day of school rolls around.