I love books!
I always have and I suspect I always will.
While I was pregnant with my first child, I scoured garage sales, thrift stores, and used bookstores to build a library for her.
I collected classics, books that I’d loved as a child, silly books, beautiful picture books, you name it, I had collected some.
I could not wait to start reading to my baby.
Through books, I have traveled to many many lands. I have met and gotten to know so many unforgettable characters. Traveled to other lands; other time periods–all through literature. Reading is a hobby that has helped me to pass so many hours, days, years.
I could not wait to share this love of reading with my baby.
Once she was born, and as her siblings came along, searching out books to add to our collection has been an adventure that we have all enjoyed. Our book collection is embarrassingly EXTENSIVE.
Every summer, I signed my children up for the library summer reading programs. I did this to encourage their excitement about reading.
A couple of summers ago, I decided to make up my own SUMMER READING CHALLENGE since I felt my children had outgrown the library program. I planned to do this mainly for my teens as a challenge. I really wanted to challenge them to choose books that they wouldn’t usually choose. I wanted to broaden their horizons and introduce new authors, subjects and concepts. I quickly realized that our daycare children also wanted to participate. So I made different charts for each age.
I purchased a small “treasure chest” that I filled with some books. Once a child completed their SUMMER READING CHALLENGE, they were allowed to choose an item to keep out of the treasure chest.
This led to the school-age children being anxious for the little one’s nap times so that they could read. The treasure chest and summer reading challenge also kept the children excited about picking out different library books during our weekly visits to the library.
We read inside after a long day outside. We read at the beach. We read at various parks. We read in the van. We read just chilling outside in the yard.
Bottom line: WE READ.
The benefits of reading for children are too numerous to count, but some of them include:
Increased comprehension, vocabulary skills, encouraging imagination, teaching about the world around them, developing empathy, learning the plights of others, and increased academic success.
This blog post goes into depth about different ways to incorporate storytelling:
https://learningisawayoflife.com/power-of-storytelling/
Sharing my love of books and reading with not only my children, but with the other children that come into our lives is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had.
Consider designing your own summer reading challenge for the children in your life.
Keep in mind, there is no right or wrong way to do this!
Check out this blog post for my list of my family’s favorite books through the years:
https://learningisawayoflife.com/read-to-me/
Here is an example of the Summer Reading Challenge for my older children.
Lovely! I can relate so much. My oldest is an avid reader, and the little ones love for me to read them their books over and over again. It’s a great activity to bond over, and make memories.