Summer Break
I love summer! I love the break from homeschooling, the longer days, spending time in the sun, the kids playing outside all day, cook-outs, ice cream runs, and all the fun that summer brings. Summer is also a great time for our kids to fit in extra reading. The trick is being able to do it without them realizing it.
Not Losing Any Ground
We work really hard during the school year on reading, and I don’t want to lose any ground during summer break. I want them to be stronger readers at the end of the summer than they were at the beginning. We take the months of June and July off from homeschooling and start up again at the beginning of August. I really want my kids to get the most out of their summer break because it goes so fast! I don’t make them do math, worksheets, writing, or anything like that during the summer. The one thing I do want them to continue is reading. Reading can be fun and doesn’t have to be “schoolish,” so they can enjoy it even in the summer.
Below are some of the ways we fit extra reading into our summer break.
Five Ways to Fit More Reading into Your Kids’ Summer
- Spend quiet time in the afternoon reading. On the days we are home, our kids take a rest in the afternoon for an hour and a half. It’s a chance for my little girls to sleep if they need it, and it’s an opportunity for my older kids to read. Malachi (8) and Madison (6) have to read for at least part of the time; then they can color or play something quietly in their beds.
- Go somewhere fun and incorporate reading, but don’t let your kids know that’s what you are doing. We take trips to the library, Barnes and Noble, and used bookstores as apart of our family days throughout the summer. Whenever we do, I ask my kids to find a book to sit and read. Sometimes it takes some coaxing, but after a little while, they will grab a book and read. It’s a great time to get extra reading time in and discover new books.
- Take books in the car to read. If we are going to be in the car for a while, I have my kids bring books along to read. They usually get bored enough that they will pick them up eventually and start to read.
- Listen to audiobooks in the car. Audiobooks are a great way to pass the time when traveling. We listened to several audio books on our last trip to Illinois to visit family. Here are a few good ideas for audiobooks to get you started.
- The Chronicles of Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis. Focus on the Family’s Reader Theater Audiobooks of this series are amazing!
- The Pennderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
- Poppy by Avi
- The BFG by Roald Dahl
- Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osbourne
- Save time for reading at bedtime. Have your kids go to bed while it is still light out, but tell them they can read in bed. When my kids do this, they see it as a privilege to stay up later. I see it as extra reading time!
Developing our children into life-long readers takes work, but summer can be an easy and fun time to keep moving towards that goal.
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