7 Ways to Have Fun With Books This Summer

School is out for summer!  It is time to have fun with books! 

But what if your kids do not want to read?  How can teachers and parents create fun ways to engage children in reading over the summer?

Kinds of Books

My first tip to start having fun with books is to determine what types of books your child likes to read.  One thing that I learned quickly as a mom is that my children don’t necessarily like the same types of books that I did growing up.  I was a hard core Cam Jansen and Nancy Drew fan.  My favorite kinds of books were mysteries!  However, my youngest daughter really loves animal stories, especially ones that tug on your heart strings.

You can do this in a couple of ways.  If your child is very young, you could set out lots of books on the floor and see which they are drawn too.  I recommend grabbing a big stack of a variety of books from the library for this activity.  No point in spending money on books when you can get them for FREE!

If your child is older, (around age 6-12) you can have him/her take a quiz by clicking here, to get some great information on types of books that he/she might enjoy.

Once you find the right books, here are seven ways to have fun with them.

Fun with Books at the Library

One fun way to get kids excited about reading is by joining a summer reading program.  There are usually great options at your local library for kids, teens, and even adults!  Yep!  You can always join in on the fun.  However, as my kids got older, they were not as interested in the programs at the library.  So, we designed our own family reading challenge.  You can read more about that in my post, Preventing the Summer Slide.

Food Fun With Books

If you have ever been part of a book club, you know that enjoying books and enjoying food pair well together!  

Summer brings a great opportunity to enjoy a story and make some food to go along with it.  Some books naturally lend themselves to cooking activities.

Some great examples are:

• Everybody Cooks Rice
• Dragons Love Tacos
• If You Give a Moose a Muffin

I also love the recipe book, Cook Me a Story.  This book is a treasury of classic fairy tales that include recipes to go along with each story.  Fun cookbooks like this offer a valuable reading experience.

No time to cook?   How about some gummy “bookworms” to eat while reading?  You can stick them in a zippered baggie and add this free printable sandwich bag topper to make a fun treat.

Movies with Books

Another fun way to get kids excited about reading is to find books that have been made into movies.  Read the book, and then watch the movie together.

Here are a few fun options:

Picture Books

• Curious George
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
• Shrek
• Madeline
• Paddington

Chapter Books

• The Chronicles of Narnia
• Alice in Wonderland
• Many of the American Girl Chapter Books
• Because of Winn Dixie
• The BFG

Books with Stuffed Animals

Kohls sells wonderful books that have adorable stuffed animals to pair with them.  If you have reluctant readers on your hands, they just might sit down for storytime if they have an adorable stuffed animal to snuggle with.

Books in a Tent

Sometimes on those hot summer days, we all need a break from the sun.  Set up a tent or a fort in your backyard with books and give the kids a place to cool off while they read.  A tent can be your regular camping tent or something as simple as throwing a blanket over the patio table and letting your child lay on a sleeping bag and read underneath!

Books on the Go

A great way to squeeze in some story time is to bring books in the car.  Definitely keep your nicest picture books at home though.  The ones that traveled in the car with us always got a little banged up.  Another great option is to listen to audiobooks!

Sometimes it is fun to read books at places other than your local library.  When our family lived in Indianapolis, our local nature center had a fantastic reading room filled with books and puppets for acting out stories.  The Indianapolis Children’s Museum has a full-service library within the museum as well.  If you have never been to the museum, it is top-notch!

Field Trip Books

A great way to extend the excitement of a good book is to create an experience to go along with it!  For example, if your child likes books about animals, then taking them to the zoo or a nature center would be a great way to extend the learning and inspire them to read more.

To recap, here are seven ways to have fun with books this summer:

• Join a summer reading program at the library
• Have snacks or meals that go with the book
• Pair a book and a movie
• Snuggle a stuffed animal while reading
• Read in a tent
• Read in the car or listen to audiobooks
• Take a field trip to extend the learning

Sometimes it is hard to tell if your child is actually comprehending what he/she is reading. If you need some printable reading passages with comprehension questions, check out these products:

Digital Reading Passages for First Grade

Digital Non-Fiction Animal Reading Passages

Printable Easy Animal Reading Passages

According to research by the National Summer Learning Association, 

“By the end of 6th grade, students who experience summer learning loss are an average of two years behind their peers.”  

Make sure your child doesn’t have any summer learning loss by spending a little time each day enjoying a great book.

You may also want to check out a great blog post written by Emma Pollard of mykidequip.com.

5 Ways to Support Struggling Readers at Home

Happy summer friends!