Reading activities to make summer learning fun. What do you do to keep your kids reading once school is out? Camps, tutors, library programs, creative ideas?

Creative Summer Reading Activities

Great article Heidi! It's especially challenging getting teens to read, especially those that prefer video games. :-)

Our library has a wonderful summer reading program. They earn small prizes for every few books they read.

The very best way of all time to get kids to read is to put the electronics away. That means video games, TV, movies, etc. Then, have a wide selection of books on subjects that they enjoy. Wait for the two weeks of crying, tantrums, and depression to pass, then watch your kids read! It does help if you model reading; that's powerful.

I agree with all your points about electronics! All four of my children struggle with the pull their electronic devices have on them, even though we have a ton of books in the house. My teens are more likely to pick up the magazines they chose to have subscriptions for than books in the summer.

My younger children are reading daily since they are participating in our local library program. I also set aside time each day for them to read on top of their nightly ritual. My teen boys are a different story. They are good readers (and students), but prefer magazines and electronic reading this summer. This week I took them to our local bookstore and bought them each a new book. They found really interesting biographies to read - very different topics than their "school" reading. I think they needed to find something that wasn't at all school-related to get them motivated.

What are your kids reading?

So, how is it going? The summer reading program at the library has really worked for my girls. Having the program sheet on the fridge reminds us to visit the library to get new books each week.