One of our goals this summer is to get lots of reading done. I’m trying my best to keep it fun so that the kids will keep reading. Here are a few tips to help you make your summer reading more enjoyable.

1. A place to read.

My favorite thing to do to make reading fun is to read in different places.  Some places we love to read are:  in the reading tent, in a fort, outside, in the car, on the deck, on the floor, with tons of pillows, and soon we will try in a dark closet with flashlights!  The possibilities are endless!

2. Schedule your reading time. (Be consistent!)
I find that if we put reading time into our daily routine, it is more likely to get done.  My favorite time of day to read to my kids is right after lunch.  We enjoy some quiet time with a good story.  It is something that my kids look forward to. 

3. A chart to mark or record what you’ve read. 
I love looking back and seeing all that we have accomplished.  This year I printed off these charts so that we can see how many books we read during the summer.  My goal is to fill up this entire page of chapter books that I have read aloud to my kids.  My kids will write those books down on their lists too, but they also have books to write down that they have read on their own.

4. Have a designated library day. (Be consistent!)

Committing to a certain time and day to go to the library makes it a lot easier to actually make it there.  I really like to meet friends at the library, so I’m even more regular.  My local library has a story time for younger kids and a story time for older kids at the same time, on different sides of the library.  Unfortunately, my almost 11 year old thinks that she is too old to do the “older” story time with the 1st graders (and up).  But she still found some books and enjoyed some reading time.

5. Activities that go along with your books.
Doing activities, crafts, and games that correlate with books you read reinforces reading comprehension.  Back in March I found a blog that posted lots of activities to go along with certain childrens books.  Just looking at all of the ideas at Helping Little Hands just gets the wheels in my head turning.