School’s out. The days are long and hot. It’s time for Summer Reading! Summer Reading at my library is still something I remember even though I never thought about being a librarian. Now that I am, I have a few thoughts I would like to share.
1. Above all, make it a guilt-free summer. Did you start out going to the library every week and have a set reading time every day but after three weeks off it wasn't so every week or every day? That's OK. Your books check out for 3 weeks and I bet there was at least one day when your kid needed a break from the summer activities and found a quiet place to read.
2. Six books? Any books! The research says that kids reading just 6 books over the summer will maintain their reading level. The summer reading theme this year is sports and we are using that to reinforce that reading is a skill and it gets better with practice. Even more, letting kids choose the books they want to read not only lets them rediscover the fun of reading, it leads to higher gains in reading achievement such as comprehension and vocabulary.
3. Audio books and graphic novels are reading. Audio books are more than just a nice diversion for long car trips. Listening to stories is how we all were introduced to books, after all. Listening to audio books is great for increasing vocabulary and reading motivation. Comic books are full of action and they also require the reader to make sense of pictures and text to tell a complete story. Visual learners may find this is the way they learn about characters, story structure, mood and, yes, humor.
4. Summer Reading is for adults, too. The library is the place for people of all ages to rediscover the joy of reading. Just like we tell our grown-ups in storytime, if you do the fingerplays and rhymes, your preschoolers will, too. The same goes for reading. Children are more likely to grow up reading for pleasure if they see their parents reading for pleasure. So find that best seller from a couple of years ago that you didn't get to and check it out. Or that favorite beach read author. Tell yourself you are doing it for your kids!
Need some incentive? Be sure to join the Summer Reading Program at your neighborhood Johnson County library. And, yes, there is a program for kids, teens, and adults.
