A Thought on Summer Reading

Summer is great. It's warm enough for swimming. The kids are out of school. Life seems hectic, but still fun. One of my favorite things to do during the summer is read outside. Whether its in a hammock, a lounge chair or carefully floating in the water, summer reading is just awesome. Of course, kids don't see it that way all the time.

Children are the future and I'm a firm believer that a child that loves to read is a child that loves to learn. Local libraries across the country have summer reading programs that encourage and reward reading. My daughter has taken part in this program for years. She hasn't always completed the challenge, but she always tries.

Last year was the first year we had a real loss of interest. I get it. I do. It's summer. She doesn't want to have to read. She wants to play and be lazy when she can. There are still chores and lots of extra stuff to help keep her mind active. Reading just didn't seem to be interesting anymore.

This year I've tried something different. While traditional chapter books are available for her, I've added a number of other reads. Starting with Stan Lee's graphic novel set, The Zodiac Legacy. This series does have a traditional novel counterpart, but Lil Miss really got into the graphic novels. Those were added to her shelf over the school year. She ate them up.

Next I added a few magazines. Wild Kratts was a big win. She loves animals and learning more about them without having to worry about a thick book made it easier for her to pick up on her own. I also let her pick out a few magazines on her own.

Last, I added a manga. Manga is a lot like comics and graphic novels, but they are Asian and have a much broader range of genres. I added Vol. 1 of an anime that she and I enjoyed watching together. It took her having to wait for me to finish the Vol. before she really grabbed it up, but she did and it's earned her points towards her summer reading. She's currently waiting for Vol. 2.

The school has put out a list of summer reading books that Lil Miss is welcome to choose from as well, but this year she's refused to even look at the list. So, my intention is to just keep her reading. As long as she is reading I'm happy.

Its important to let a child find their own interests and give them a path to learn about those things. As they get older we don't have to hold their hands through learning. I've found if we offer the right incentives and pathways they'll happily skip along.

Peace and Love!