With summer fast approaching it is time to think about how to empower your child to be successful for the next school year. Summer break is the best time to do this! This is a time for students to jump into a book for pleasure, adventure, or maybe even cooking a new recipe for the family! As Kate DiCamillo stated “Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” – Kate DiCamillo.

Student engagement refers to the intensity with which students apply themselves to learning in school. Traits such as motivation, enjoyment, grit, and curiosity bolster student learning and can be further developed during the summer months. For example, when children are learning to read, giving them a choice of what they want to read creates intrinsic motivation. If students get free choice of book topics, they are likely to pick up book after book. Summer break from school is a great time to encourage enjoyment, grit, and curiosity through reading.

8 Tips for Parents to promote Summer Reading

  1. Take your kiddos to the library and sign them up for a card! If you are excited about it they may be too.
  2. Go to a bookstore and buy them a book of their choice. If this is something that grabs them, then make it a reward after they read so many books.
  3. Take a break from electronics once a day and go to a quiet place and read. This applied to the parents as well! Set up a cozy nook with a favorite blanket and bean bag. You could always have a special spot outdoors.
  4. Have a competition to see who reads the most books by the end of summer. Encourage this with their friends so it is social and fun! Or challenge your child to read a set number of books to earn a reward.
  5. Join a summer reading program. They might make new friends!
  6. Model reading! Like the saying…”monkey see, monkey do.”
  7. Have a movie night! Watch a film based on a book. Get them excited to see the difference between the two.
  8. Talk about what they are reading. When you are interested in what they are doing they might be more prone to get that book finished to tell you all about it.

Summer reading can be fun and an activity the whole family can enjoy together!

Nicole Nelms

Nicole Nelms

 

Nicole has been a lifelong resident of Montana and an educator for 14 years. She currently teaches K-8 Technology at Red Lodge Schools where she lives with her husband and two children, a 1st grader and a Junior in high school.  nicole_nelms@redlodge.k12.mt.us

Kari Dahle-Huff

Kari Dahle-Huff, PhD

 

Kari has been an educator in Montana and Minnesota for over 20 years in the field of literacy. Currently she teachers at Montana State University Billings in the Reading Master’s Program. Kari specializes in adolescent literacy and rural education. She is also a mom to a 2nd grader and a 4th grader and two dogs. kari.dahle@msubillings.edu