The Joy of Summer Reading

by Sarah Collinge on August 9, 2016

Extended Reading Parents Sarah Collinge reading Read-Side-by-Side summer reading

I love summer for SO many reasons, but maybe the best part of summer for me and my kids is SUMMER READING! What does summer reading look like and how is it more magical than the reading my kids do during the school year? Take a peak at what summer reading looks like in the Collinge house!

1. We take books with us.

In the Collinge house, we take advantage of sunny summer days by taking reading outside! When we go to the pool or the park, we bring our books. Usually I am the one reading next to the pool or the swings (my own little slice of heaven), but when my kids get all tuckered out from the hot sun, they curl up on a towel or blanket and read.

2. We listen to books in the car.

Audio books are so perfect for summer when you find yourself in the car a lot—either taking a long road trip to the beach, or many trips back and forth to Kamp Kookamunga. We love listening to audio books in the car. Our favorite one is still The Twits by Roald Dahl.

3. We forget about bedtime and stay up late reading.

In the summer, bedtime reading can stretch a little longer than during the school year when my daughter has to get up early for cello practice. I figure as long as my kids are reading a book, they can stay up as late as they want. Typically they will each get about 20-30 minutes of reading in before their eyes can no longer stay open, but sometimes my oldest daughter, Hannah (10), will stay up past 11:00pm reading Harry Potter. (My husband and I are guilty of the late night reading too!)

4. We make more trips to the library.

The library is great all year round, but there is something wonderful about the library in the summer. From the summer reading contests to the special events, there is always something exciting happening at the library! This summer my daughter found the cookbook section and it has led to some spontaneous cooking lessons.

Hannah finds a cookbook at the library!

Hannah gets a thumbs-up from her sister, Sadie, after a library-book-inspired cooking lesson!

5. We ALL get in on the action!

Maybe the best part about summer reading is that everyone in the family can get in on the action! And as it turns out, collaboration or reading within a community is the greatest motivator of life-long reading.

While summer is such a joy-filled time for reading, that joy doesn’t have to end when the kids go back to school. How might you help kids carry these experiences into the school year?

Are you a parent or a homeschool parent looking for ideas to increase your child's motivation and achievement in reading?

We are confident the ideas and tools in the Read Side by Side Reading Program will be the right fit for you and your child! To learn more about the program and about resources for you to use, connect with one of our advisors!

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