Lazy Days of Summer Reading

As is gets hotter and more humid here in Georgia, I let the kids enjoy some lazy summer afternoons. We keep doing our homeschool routine in the summer, but at a more relaxed pace.

I try to get the kids outside in the mornings for walks and to play in the late evenings when the temperature is bearable, but in the heat of the day one really nice way to spend some time is on the couch reading.

It’s always been important to me to instill a love of reading within my kids. One way I’ve done this without really trying is to let my kids see me reading and enjoying it.

I think it’s important that kids see that reading is something you do for entertainment as well as learning.

I could quite easily live without television and when we move won’t be acquiring a tv, so reading is probably my favorite pastime.

One thing we enjoy is family read aloud. Sometimes this is a Bible story and sometimes it’s a chapter book that we’re reading together. I list some of our recent favorites below.

We’ve been availing ourselves of some of the fun, free stuff going on at the public libraries in the country. They all have a summer reading program with free activities, many of which are related to specific books or authors. Others are educational – science type activities and stuff like that.

Barnes and Noble has a summer reading program too – when your child reads 8 books they get a free book from a list of selected titles. We’ve gotten several free books so far. Just grab a sign up form from customer service and start writing down the titles your child reads. While the official rules state one book per child, my local Barnes and Noble gives my kids multiple sheets and doesn’t seem to mind them handing in more than one.

My kids are at different stages in their reading journey. My oldest is a bookworm (takes after mom!) who reads a lot and has an almost endless appetite for books. He’s an excellent reader and people are always complimenting him on his reading skills.

My 7 year old is struggling a bit. He knows how to read a little, but doesn’t enjoy it very much. I am not putting pressure on him. According to my research and personal philosophy, it doesn’t matter very much how old your child is when they learn how to read. If he’s not reading well yet, I don’t wish to stress him about it. I encourage him to read every day and I read aloud to him every day and try to make it a pleasurable activity. I sell him on the benefits of reading by reminding him often that when he becomes better at reading, the world is his oyster. He is very interested in airplanes, engines, and space travel. So I tell him that when he learns how to read well, he can learn about all these things and more.

I recently picked up a bunch of books from the library about space travel and for once, he was actually asking ME to read to him.

My 5 year old, pictured above, will likely be a big reader. She’s memorized a lot of books already – remarkably fast in my opinion. I can read her a story just a few times and she can recite it. She’s the same with song lyrics so I know she’ll have no trouble learning how to read. She can often be found sitting and “reading” a story aloud. She also loves to write and tell stories. I find page after page of paper with neat script (using the letters she knows how to write legibly and other characters she’s made up!). She will tell these stories at length to anyone who is willing to sit down and listen…. and listen… and listen… lol!

Here are some of our favorite books and a few of these we’ve read together recently.

The The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are finishing up By the Shores of Silver Lake. Reading about how poor Caroline had to cook over an open fire with long sleeves and that long heavy dress makes me thankful for modern domestic life!

Spiderwick Chronicles – We really enjoyed this series. For one, the backstory is of a single mom struggling to meet the needs of her 3 kids, who argue plenty! But the theme of little creatures (some nice, some not so nice) appeals to kids. I loved the artwork in these, it’s reminiscent of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, which I also love. Be sure to read these before you see the movie.

Bridge To Terabithia – a classic that every child should read. This one will bring tears to an adult’s eyes. A great summer book that reminds you what a blessing good friends – and family, despite their flaws – are.

The Giver by Lois Lowry – We finished this one recently and it was fantastic. Jonas, an 11 year old boy who is growing up in a Utopian society, receives an assignment that will change his life forever. This book will really resonate with a child who is on the cusp of puberty like my oldest.

So what are you reading this summer?