Disclosure: I received books from the publisher; opinions shared are mine.
At the Savings in Seconds house, summer has been an absolute delight. We traveled a bit, relaxed a lot, and generally enjoyed being together. This month I finally got to spend some time in my garden.
School has been out of sight, out of mind for us this summer. The closest I’ve been to educating my kids has taken place during the Stranger Things binge sessions when I explained the concept of New Coke. Not exactly enriching lives over the summer months, I’m afraid. Our family’s reading minutes have really fallen by the wayside this summer, too. Goodreads shames me about being 4 books behind schedule on my 2019 challenge. I had a feedback session with Epic! and had to admit that we haven’t even logged on this summer at all. Now that we’re facing the beginning of the new school year, it’s time to climb up that Summer Slide.
Summer Slide is teacher-speak for the way kids sometimes “lose” some of their academic ground over the summer months. In several reading conferences I’ve attended, experts explained that reading over the summer months can help kids maintain their reading skills despite the lack of instruction. We make an effort to prevent the Summer Slide at our house. Here are some of my strategies!
Make reading the activity
My kids read for fun during the summer — things like comic books and Webtoons — and it counts. There are no rules or time limits; instead, I just try to make reading material available. Stopping at a bookstore for a cafe snack and a new book can be a great outing!
On a day trip with my daughter, I scouted out a used bookstore that also sold ice cream. How fun is that?! We browsed for about an hour and ended up with several books we just couldn’t live without.
Have a reason for reading
My kids would normally roll their eyes if I handed them a classic novel, but they humor me when I say “I’m writing about this on my blog.” For example, I got this gorgeous set of books from Canterbury Classics and the kids ooh’ed and aah’ed over them. They really are beautiful!! Each one has a cloth-bound cover (love the vivid colors). Inside you’ll find illustrations that bring each story to life. These are like the books I remember from my childhood, only better. They’re also available in ebook form, but aren’t they so pretty in print?
I WANT THEM ALL.
So, you know what? We’re going to spend some time snuggling under a favorite quilt with a book about fairy tales. For the blog, of course.
(See, all the more reason for you to start a blog!)
If you don’t have a blog, you can still find reasons for your kids to read. Ask your child to read the steps of a recipe, or insist on reading the rules of a board game when you play together.
Make reading an act of service
Most of the time, I ask my son to read aloud to me. This helps him to develop reading fluency. It also helps me to determine how he’s doing on decoding words. He’s willing to read to me if he thinks he’s doing me a favor. This might be keeping me entertained with Diary of a Wimpy Kid while I’m cooking dinner, or reading the captions on his video game so I’ll understand what’s going on.
To turn reading into an act of service at your house, ask the older child to read to the little one. Both kids will benefit from this shared experience. If you don’t have a littler one, find a friend who’s willing to share their toddler for a few moments of peace! Bonus points if you find a book that’s about books. The Big Book of Adventure references all kinds of fun classics such as Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland.
One lucky Savings in Seconds reader will win a set of the books featured in this post — The Big Book of Adventure and the 4 Canterbury Classics! The giveaway is open to US readers ages 18+. Void where prohibited by law. Good luck!
I want to win as these are wonderful books and stories my kids would love to read
This kind of enchantment allows space for magic. You can breathe in the natural airy ways of the words. Including this as an encouragement eill help with my neices/nephews as we all spring into excitement.
I know my niece will enjoy these.
I’d love to win these books for my nephew.
“What makes you want to win this prize pack?” Everyone here loves gorgeous books with fun stories!
I’d love to win this prize for my daughter’s Nevaeh and Destini! They love reading!
I would love to win these to share with my grandchildren! We would have so much fun reading them together.
They would be perfect for my kids.
for my cousin 🙂
I remember reading the classics when I was a kid and would love for my nieces to have the same great experience.
I’d like to win this giveaway because we love books and reading.
My boys always participated in the summer reading program at the library.
I like having my 6 grandchildren over. Education was always #1 in raising my sons and I like to keep books here for me to read to them. I love the reference to the classic books
I’d love to win the books to add to my library. My favourite time is storytime with the grandchildren.
My niece loves to read and this prize package would suit her well.
Collecting for my niece’s library
I would like to win these for my kids. I think they would enjoy them.
My granddaughter would love all of these books especially Peter Pan.
Both my children love to read so they would enjoy more books.
I have 4 kids, and I’ve been reading to them all since they were little. we absolutly love reading. Now that my 2nd kid is old enough i have him help by reading to the baby, who is one tomorrow! We would love to add these to our collection.
This is a nice set of books. I want these for myself, as well as, my children and grandchildren.
I love reading and think every child should get a chance to have the joy of reading.