You can do a lot to keep your children’s minds active over the summer without needing an advanced degree in education. Picture books are a great place to start for children between the ages of 4-9, whether you are at home or on the road.

Ideally, reading together at bedtime is a daily activity shared throughout the year, but with our busy schedules, inadvertently there are nights when that just doesn’t happen. And while you might think summer vacation is a time to relax, reading together is actually an activity that one should become more vigilant about during the summer, when your children are not getting the stimulation they usually get at school. So here are some things to consider:

Start Here: At the Library: In addition to sprinklers and pools, make summer synonymous with regular trips to the library. If you can’t do it during the week, have a caregiver make the effort. Many local libraries have special events for kids during the summer, and the librarians are a font of valuable information and recommendations for appropriate reading. While libraries traditionally offered longer lending periods during the summer, now, with online renewals, taking books away on vacation is simple. Paperback vs. hardcover also make packing much easier.

Make books accessible, everywhere: Make it easy for your children to pick up books on their own by having them easily accessible in their rooms, in the house and on the road. When my daughter was very young, I had a large collection of miniature picture books that I picked up throughout the year and saved for summertime. Because of their size, I was able to pack a large selection of these tiny, full-color books in her very own backpack.

Click here for Working Mother recommended books for ages 4-7

http://www.workingmother.com/family-time/summer-book-picks-ages-4-7

Choose: Variety keeps things interesting. While many children beg to hear the same book over and over until they are virtually ‘reading’ it by heart, variety is also important, to keep them engaged. Help your kids choose books in a wide variety of genre and media, including folktales, non-fiction, art books, pop-ups, and classic fairy tales in traditional print formats or enhanced ebooks that can be viewed on Tablets or ebook readers.

Talk: Discuss the story and illustrations. As you’re reading, talk to your kids about what’s going on in the illustrations, as well as the text. See if your kids can share their thoughts on the ‘backstory’ and insights about some of the lesser characters. Ask questions to stimulate conversation, encouraging your children to explore elements in the illustrations that might not be obvious, or thoughts about what might have happened to the characters before or after the story begins.

Do: Create an illustrated glossary. As you’re reading, have your children make note of the new words in the stories. Have uniform paper (same size so it can be ‘bound’ together at summer’s end) and crayons/markers/paints handy. After you finished reading the book, have your children write and draw their understanding of the new words they have learned. If you compile this at the end of the summer, it will become a beautiful memento of vacation that children will be proud to share with relatives, friends and even next year’s teachers.

Get Crafty: Use picture books as a springboard for a host of arts & crafts projects. Work with your children to create artwork in the style of the book, whether it’s collage, watercolor or playing with a color palette. Have the children illustrate their own version of the story, perhaps with a different ending. Make a copy of one or two of the pages from the book to create black and white coloring pages. Have your children create ‘puppets’ of the characters  in the story by simply taking your child’s drawing of the characters and pasting them on art-sticks.  

Go Online: Many publishers and authors have websites that contain activities that extend the experience of the book beyond reading, so poke around a little. You can start simply by googling the title of the book or the name of the publisher. (example: Jumping Jenny by Ellen Bari)

Pick appropriate reading level for your child. Nothing is more frustrating for children than reading books either too difficult or too easy for them. There are a number ways to check that, from simply speaking with last year’s teacher, to using one of the online reading tests. Homeschooling sites offer numerous options for checking your child’s reading level, if a simple observation of their ease with reading a few pages is not adequate. The Lexile Framework of Books, can help you build a customized summer reading list based on interests and your child’s grade level at school. Of course your local librarian can offer great, personalized recommendations based on speaking directly with your child, but Educator World has compiled a list of lists, that has the best reading lists from school boards across the country, organized by grade.  

Click here for Working Mother recommended books for ages 4-7

Tip For School-Aged Kids: Keep this year’s and next year’s curriculum in mind. For example, if your child studied weather patterns this past year, choose a few books where climate or weather play a prominent role in the story. Find out what’s in store for next year and see if you can find books that touch on those topics. Ask your library for the school’s recommended reading if it’s not in the bottom of a backpack!

Recommended reading for ages 8-12

Reward! Since you want to keep your children’s minds active and make them want to read more, a little outside motivation might help! Reading rewards and giveaways are available locally and nationally, including your local library. Check out these programs from national brands:

Barnes and Noble: Read 8 books, keep a reading journal and get a book for free as a reward.

HEB Buddy Reading Program- read 10 books and receive a t-shirt, certificate, and 20 point sticker.

Chuck E Cheese's: Print out and record reading on Reading Calendar (2 weeks) and get 10 free tokens with food purchase.

Book It! with Pizza Hut: Invites kids across the country to take part in a reading challenge…Read 5 books, grades K-6, and be entered to win a summer prize package.

Half Price Books: June 1st -July 31^st,  kids ages 14 and under receive $3 gift cards for each week they read at least 15 minutes per day.

Pottery Barn: receive a free book when you complete one of their recommended reading lists.

Sylvan Learning Centers: Read a page per day and enter a contest to win up to $1,000

Ellen Bari is a New York children’s book author, freelance writer, creative consultant and co-founder of Momasphere, creating innovative programs for moms of all ages at all stages. Bari’s new picture book, Jumping Jenny  is about a spirited, little girl who channels her passion for jumping for a community service project.