Summertime is for pool parties, cool camps, terrific trips and fun with friends.  Families look forward to sleeping in and taking a break from the school routine.  But summer shouldn't mean taking a break from learning, especially reading. Studies show that most students experience a loss of reading skills over the summer months, but children who continue to read actually gain skills. Families should work together to help children sustain reading skills, practice reading and read for enjoyment during the summer.

However, parents should remember that children need free time in the summer to relax and enjoy the pleasures of childhood. So summer reading should be fun and not forced. Following are a few tips to encourage reading and help keep it interesting for your children this summer:

Read aloud together with your child every day. Even older, more proficient readers enjoy sitting back to let their imaginations run wild while someone else does the reading.  Also, let your children read to you. For younger children, point out the relationship between words and sounds.

Set a good example. Parents must be willing to model behavior for their children. Keep lots of reading material around the house. Turn off the TV and have each person read his or her book, including mom and dad.

Read the same book your child is reading and discuss it. This shows your support of your child’s reading and provides you with plenty of good material for one-on one talks.

Let kids choose what they want to read, and don't turn your nose up at popular fiction - it will only discourage the reading habit.  Summer often offers one of the few opportunities to read a book that is not assigned or on a designated reading list.  While censoring may still be necessary, freedom to select a book that is not a “classic” can help your kids stay interested.

Use books on tape, especially for a young child or a child with a learning disability. Listen to them in the car, or turn off the TV and have the family listen to them together.

Take your children to the library regularly. Most libraries sponsor summer reading clubs with easy-to-reach goals for preschool and school age children. Check the library calendar for special summer reading activities and events. Libraries also provide age appropriate lists for summer reading.

Subscribe, in your child's name, to magazines like Sports Illustrated for Kids, Highlights for Children, or National Geographic World.  They usually have short articles and colorful pictures.  Encourage older children to read the newspaper and current events magazines.  Discuss current events with them, ask them what they think about what they've read, and listen to what they say.

Keep reading material handy.  Have books, magazines and newspapers available in: the car, your child’s bedroom, the living room, your child’s camp backpack and in the beach bag.

Ease disappointment over summer separation from a favorite school friend by encouraging them to become pen pals. Present both children with postcards or envelopes that are already addressed and stamped. If both children have access to the Internet, email is another option.  You can also encourage your child to become a pen pal with a child from another country.  The exposure to different cultures is a bonus.

Make trips and outings a way to encourage reading by reading aloud traffic signs, billboards, notices, etc. Show your children how to read a map, and once you are on the road, let them take turns being the navigator.  Have your child read the grocery list, the menu at the restaurant or “specials” at the deli counter.

Encourage children to keep a summer scrapbook. Tape in souvenirs of your family's summer activities picture postcards, ticket stubs, and photos. Have your children write the captions and read them aloud as you look at the book together.

Find a fun place to read.  Kids love cozy, secluded or unique locations.  Try having them read out on the porch, in front of the campfire, inside a tent, in a fort, under their covers with a flashlight, on a pool float or in the tub (don’t use library or borrowed books in these locations).

Link hobbies with reading. Cooking, collecting baseball cards, even video games fan magazines have a reading component.

Tap technology. The Internet can be a positive force for reading and research. Explore with your child sites dedicated to books, book lists, authors and interests. Follow links together.

Involve your children in the practical uses of reading.  Follow directions on a recipe for baking cookies, looking at travel brochures or read instructions for putting together new bookshelves!

Have your children participate in reading rewards programs or clubs such as:  Barnes & Noble’s “Diver’s Journal” (complete reading logs to receive free books), AMC Theatres’ “Read for the Stars” (complete reading logs to receive free Kid’s Packs) or discover one of the many library programs.  For more details about these programs, visit the “Summer Fun” pages.

Remember, the goal for summer reading is to keep it fun.  When reading is forced and becomes more of a chore than a pleasurable experience, children often resist the idea of taking a break with books.  Allowing children to make choices will make reading feel like a natural part of their summer rather than an extension of their school year.   This summer, rest, relax and read!

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