Summer Reading & Young Children... My Simple Solution!

In my home, my oldest child recently started reading and writing this past year. Since the completion of kindergarten... she has been on a reading-crazed bonanza! From books to magazines, street signs and even billboards - wherever there may be a word, then she's reading it. Like some parents, I was a tad bit worried once school let out and summer began, that my child wouldn't be as interested nor excited in reading during the summer. Boy was I wrong!

During a visit to the local library my 6-year old spotted two middle-school aged girls working on some type of project for the library. She didn't hesitate to walk right up and ask what it was all about, LOL. Then a smile appeared from ear to ear and she burst out in excitement, "Mommy! Mommy it's a book club! Can I do it? Can I?" From that point all worries faded and I knew reading had her HOOKED. After I explained to her what the Summer Reading Program is at our library she was overly excited to find out that she could earn prizes just for reading! We selected a handful of books including "Pip Squeak" I Can Read Vol. 1 by Sarah Weeks, went home & she immediately began reading...

As parents, we know most young children lose interest in things quickly and it's up to us to keep them focused and motivated. Each and everyday I keep my child motivated to continue reading through the summer by testing out different methods of encouragement such as:

*Spending 30-minutes total reading daily (10 minutes with me, 10-min with Dad, and 10-min reading to her baby brother)

*Letting her choose a topic of her choice (i.e. Dentist, School, Animals) and going "book-hunting" at the library or book store

* Weekly visits to the library to "shop" for cool new books

*Joining MORE summer reading programs so your child can earn more FREE books! (try asking your local book store)

*Having a "Book Swap" with a friend

*Playing educational reading games on the net

Now the question is, How do you get your kids to embrace summer reading? Feel free to share your tips and techniques with me by leaving a comment. I'd love to hear all about it and try out a few things with my little one! Be sure to join in on the discussion at TwitterMoms.

DISCLAIMER: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an "I Can Read!" book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.