Summer Reading: What’s a Parent To Do?

<font size=2>by Jewel Sample

<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/60/171993642_1ad5040d73_o.jpg" width="300" height="200" align="left"alt="286796_reading_a_story" />How many times during the summer months have you heard your children say, “I don’t want to read right now"?

If you’re like me and many other parents, you’ll do anything to avoid those words from being said. Besides, you want summer reading to be fun. But where do you start? Well, here are some tips for parents.

1.<strong> Learn all you can about how children learn to read.</strong> Reading is taught differently today than it was when some of us were children. Find out how children learn to read and become familiar with strategies used to help children with reading at this PBS website <a href="http://www.readingrocket.org">www.readingrocket.org</a>.

2. <strong>Follow your children’s lead by doing what interests them.</strong> Children are curious. They love to discover new things. Make reading all about discovery. Search for <em>Reading is Fundamental</em> activities for ages K-8 at <a href="http://www.rif.org">www.rif.org</a>.

3. <strong>Read a book that’s now a children’s movie.</strong> Start with your local library’s children’s book and movie list. Check out other library lists on the internet at <a href="http://www.publiclibraries.com">www.publiclibraries.com</a>.

4. <strong>Read about the people, places, or things your family will visit.</strong> Take a virtual field trip (<a href="http://www.virtual-fieldtrips.com">www.virtual-fieldtrips.com</a>) of famous historical or geographical sites, or sites from popular works of literature. Or, before you go on your real vacation, visit your summer vacation spot on the internet. Print off any free children’s stories, articles, or coloring pages to read before you go, or in route to your destination.

5. <strong>Let your children catch YOU reading.</strong> Children tend to gravitate toward what interests others around them. If your children show an interest in your book adventure (<a href="http://bookadventure.org">bookadventure.org</a>) material invite them to read with you.

Try these simple tips to make reading fun for you and your children this summer. Instead of telling you they don’t want to read right now, they’ll be asking, "Can we read just one more book? Please!"

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<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/430661818_c2b2e1c3a3_m.jpg" width="216" height="144" align="left"alt="Jewel_013_3" />Jewel Sample is a children’s writer and author of <em>Flying Hugs and Kisses</em>. For information about her background and publications, visit her <a href="http://www.jewelsamples.blogspot.com">blog</a>.