How to Encourage Your Child to Read this Summer 

A Harvard study found that reading four or five books in the summer months had an impact on fall reading achievement comparable to attending summer school, and it showed that "children whose parents read to them at least twice per week over the summer improved comprehension skills more than children whose parents did not." It is also known that children who read more than 30 minutes per day in the summer have significantly better comprehension.

So, how do you encourage your child to read this summer? Dr. Alice Wilder, creator of the Think It Ink It Publishing series of wordless picturebooks, shares her tips on how to keep your children reading while they're off from school.

Tell stories to your children.
Children love to hear their parents tell stories, real or imagined. In the car, start a story with, "Once upon a time there was a ...," and ask your child to fill in the next few words. Add your own sentence and offer children the chance to continue. And, so on. This type of activity helps children develop their own imaginations and inspire a love of creativity, which often becomes a love of books.
 
Set aside reading time.
Create a time for reading, but don't let it interfere with time children usually spend outdoors or with other kids. Reading should never be seen as punishment or as time carved from playtime. Reading time can be set for after lunch when the sun is still too hot for outdoor play, or after dinner; as one parent does the dishes, the other can read with the kids. Or, there's always a few minutes before bedtime.
 
Choose books carefully.
Children will love to read when they're reading about topics they love. What are your child's interests—sports, dolls, clothing, music, trains? Find books related to these areas. For older kids, try the mystery stories with teenage heroes or biographies of legends in their areas of interest. Some of these books will leave a lifetime imprint. And reading a book that interests your child will motivate him to want to read more. 
 
Turn books into toys.
Instead of a trip to the toy store, how about a trip to the library or local book store? There children can take part in story hours, interact with other children, and take a book home. While you have to pay for the books at stores, both libraries and book shops have many free programs, particularly during the summer, for kids whose parents are struggling for new ways to keep everyone busy and entertained.
 
Writing inspires a love of reading.
In play and during the course of everyday life, using imagination spurs vision and inventiveness. As you make up stories, perhaps while in the car looking at the cityscape or while you're eating lunch at the mall, try to write them down, perhaps in a notebook or journal. Children will be creating their own books and an appreciation for the written word. By being authors themselves, children have the opportunity to think about characters, settings, and plots the way published authors do. Then, when they read a book, they can think about the person who wrote the story.
 
Set an example.
Parents should be readers, too. By showing your children that you love to read—books, newspapers, magazines—they'll see reading as a part of everyday life and will likely follow suit.  

For more information about Dr. Alice Wilder and Think It Ink It, visit Think It Ink It Publishing.

July 2009