I don’t know about you, but I try to keep my kids active and learning all summer long. While I don’t want them to feel like they haven’t had a break from school, I don’t want the entire summer to feel too much like a “vacation”. Don’t get me wrong, I love vacations but I also know how hard it can be for a child to snap out of a summer of complete laziness. That’s why I do my best to keep the kids involved in fun activities, field trips to children’s museums, and most importantly keep them reading.
Our school district has made this job a lot easier by sending out summer reading lists. They also have what they call the 100 Book Club, which is basically a way to encourage children to read as much as they can all year long. You see, when a child reads and test on 100 books they are a member of the club. As a member they get their name announced over the loud speaker for ever 100 books they read, and they get to go to the office and get a candy bar EVERY Friday for the entire school year! The awesome thing is, that kids can read books over the summer, and as long as they pass the AR tests those books count towards the book club. This strategy seems to work great with my boys because they have each read hundreds of books!
This summer we plan to read not only the books listed on their sheets, but also a few complete series sets like The Magic Tree House, Harry Potter, A to Z mysteries, Percy Jackson, and many more. I also enjoy reading to my younger daughters as well, but for them I stick to Pre-School books, and let them sit in on books like The Magic Tree House. I love watching my boys read to their little sisters!
So what about you and your family? Do you have any cool programs or ways to make reading more fun for your children? Do you have a family reading time? I would love to hear about how you share your love of reading with your children.
I would also like to share a pretty cool opportunity from the Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club. They have a really awesome deal on their site right now.
Getting a package full of books in the mail is a sure fire way to get any child interested in reading so don’t forget to head over and check out their vast collection of books, and start your child’s library off right!
Tell me what your kids are reading this summer for a chance to win a Summer Reading Prize Pack from the Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club!
- Grand Prize 
ottery Barn Kids’ reading chair and a Marc Jacobs Nylon Tote (for mom!)
- 5 First Prizes: Personalized Pottery Barn Kids’ Beach Tote
EXTRA ENTRY:
- Children’s Book-of-the-Month is now featuring the My Summer Reading Series! Kids receive 2 great books at their door each month all summer. $6.99 a book PLUS a free $25 Restaurant.com gift card! Check out the different book series, find a book you love and tell us the book title in the conversation for an extra entry in the contest!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club. The opinions and text are all mine. Contest runs June 28 – July 22, 2011. A random winner will be announced July 27, 2011. Official Rules
