The" No-Excuse-for-Not-Reading-During-the-Summer" List

If your child moans and groans about reading over the summer, here are some suggestions to counter all complaints. Brought to you by the International Reading Association and Reading Today, this is a smörgåsbord of suggestions to encourage good reading habits over the summer.




Francie Alexander, chief academic officer for Scholastic, Inc., advices parents that:


1.  Families should set aside a regular time of day when everyone reads. (Model it!)
2.  Hook your kids on a series. If they like the first book, they will like more.
3.  Let your children choose their books.


Linda Gambrell, a past president of the IRA, recommends:


1. Schedule weekly trips to the library.
2. Let your child select books you will read aloud.
3. Let your child read in bed. Extend bedtime only for reading.
4. Buy an inexpensive camera and notebook and let your child create a picture journal of his or her summer.  Read it with her!


Here are some great web resources which promote summer reading and writing:


1. You'll find activities, projects, games, tools, tips and how-to's for kids from kindergarten through twelfth grade on the IRA and National Council of Teachers Of English ReadWriteThink website.  
2. Reading Rockets offers booklists and online activities for parents and teachers.
3. Scholastic Inc has a Summer Challenge which encourages kids to log their summer reading. Last year 63,000 kids logged 35 million minutes!
4. The National Summer Learning Association provides resources for learning in all forms, including reading.

If you like booklists, here are places you can find them:


1. Children's Choices are books which children have evaluated and reviewed.
2. Students can travel across a map of the U.S. by reading a book that takes place in each of the states. Find the fiction and nonfiction lists here.
3. Looking for the 2010 Notable books? You'll find them on a list compiled by the Association for Library Service to Children.
4. The National Endowment for the Humanities has a list of classic literature for kindergarten through 12th graders.


Enough? Now, grab your child, a book, and get reading!

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Scholastic's Summer Challenge, National Summer Learning Association, Summer Reading, Linda Gambrell, Francie Alexander, International Reading Association, Reading Today
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