How to Help Your Child Embrace Reading This Summer

Get involved with a summer reading programs. Bookstores and libraries offer summer reading programs that make reading fun for children. There are also online summer reading programs that allow students to set goals, track books read and earn rewards, which helps them stay engaged and motivated to read. Huntington Learning Center’s Reading Adventure program is available to students of all ages and is completely free. Children choose books from a pre-selected book list and earn prizes for meeting reading goals. Register here.

Stock the home library. Help your child start their very own book collection and designate a space in the home as the cozy reading corner, complete with a bean bag and book case. Make trips to the bookstore a special treat (and keep an eye out for sales or memberships that offer discounts), and start becoming regulars at your local used bookstores.

Springboard from another passion. If it feels easier said than done to hand your child a stack of books to start reading over summer and expect success, try a different approach. Begin with your child’s other passions. If your child is a basketball player, for example, perhaps autobiographies on favorite players might appeal. Your local librarian is a wealth of information, so be sure to ask for ideas.

Get recommendations. On that note, choosing books haphazardly isn’t the best way to find books your child will love. Seek recommendations for the best summer books and good vacation books to read from the librarian or bookstore employee and on websites like Goodreads.com.

Bring books and reading into your life. During the school year, homework, activities and other things might take center stage. But now, it’s summer—an ideal time to relax a little. So, make reading a nightly family tradition. Gather on the porch or patio after dinner with drinks and books for 30 minutes of reading time. Read the same book as a family. Choose a book-turned-movie and make plans for a movie night when you all finish. And of course, make frequent trips to the library and bookstore.

It’s simple: the more your child reads, the better they will become at reading. And the best way to encourage reading is to get children to consider it an activity of choice. Reading for pleasure often takes a backseat as children grow older and other activities dominate their attention. However, summer presents a great opportunity to remind children what a wonderful activity reading really is. Find ways this summer to incorporate reading for fun into your lives, and you’ll notice your child choosing to do it more.