Suzy Q Homemaker

Most of you know that my husband is an English major.  And I’m a big nerd, too.  Our house is packed with books and we even have boxes of them in storage because there’s no room for them all on our bookshelves.  Every night, Jamie reads to the boys and we both spend time reading in bed before falling asleep.

Obviously, reading is important in our family.  That’s why I’m happy to team up with the Wright Group in promoting summer reading.  We’ve gone to the library already to get our summer reading program materials.  If you haven’t already, check with your local public library to see if they have summer programs for kids.  Ours has prizes for kids who complete 15 hours of reading or read a certain number of books.  But it’s not just going to the library that can keep your kids reading.  Check out these tips from Charlene Cobb, author of one of the Wright Group/McGraw-Hill reading programs:

• Create a summer escape in your home perfect for reading. Make sure there is good light and comfortable seating to entice your kids to spend time there.
• Even if your children can read by themselves, take turns reading to each other. This helps build their skills as they listen to your tone and inflection throughout the story or article. Before, during and after you read, talk about the material. Ask you child questions and encourage you child to ask you questions
• Whether you are reading to your children or they are reading themselves, plan an event or activity that ties to the reading material. For instance, book reading can lead to picnics, museum and zoo visits, ballgames, or even family vacations.
• Look for opportunities for your child to read. If you have a manual for a new DVD player, ask your child to read you the directions. Grocery lists and “to do” lists are also good items to help kids practice reading in “real life.”
• Share the reading experience with your child by reading the same book or material they are reading so you can discuss it
• Even if you are not reading the same books as your children, talk to them about what they are reading. Ask them questions such as what happened in the story or what might happen next, who is their favorite character, or who is the villain. This builds summarization and recall skills, and your interest can help increase their interest.
• If your children’s school program provides materials for home activities, absolutely use them.
• Suggest your child read a popular series that has been turned into movies like the Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia books. When your child finishes reading the book, rent or go see the movie and discuss how each differed from the other and whether the book or movie was more enjoyable.
• Look for materials beyond fiction. Kids often prefer to read about facts, including books and articles about the environment, animals, current events, sports, and other factual topics. Talk to them about what they like and help them find reading materials that match those interests.
• Try to set aside at least one TV/video-game-free night per week for family reading. Make your family’s favorite snacks, get new books at the library and make it fun!

So what are you doing to encourage your kids to read this summer? Leave me a comment and one lucky reader will win a set of three age appropriate readers from the Wright Group reading program!

For additional entries, leave a comment for each of the following:

• Follow or subscribe to my blog
• Add my button to your sidebar
• Tweet about this giveaway & either leave me the link or add “@terpsichore” to your tweet. Or you can copy/paste this: RT @terpsichore: Win books for your child’s summer reading! http://bit.ly/WRTCB
• Use the Share button at the bottom of this post & let me know how you spread the word about this giveaway
• Follow Suzy Q Homemaker on Facebook

Contest ends June 30 at midnight EST. Open to U.S. Residents only.

Related posts:

1. 24-Hour Read-A-Thon!
2. Weekly Geeks #12: Bookish Questions
3. It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Tags: books, family, giveaways, Hard water, kids

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