Tip Tuesday! Summer reading programs!

There is so much research out there that supports the need to “read” to and with your children over the summer months to ensure that they maintain their current reading level and can even aid in improving their reading skills even before that bus shows up at your doorstep in the fall.  So my question is…what are you doing this summer to support your child’s reading?

The love of reading is huge in my house.  One of my favorite places to go is the library.  Don’t you love that smell of books, new and old, displayed from ceiling to floor when you walk through those library doors? I know I do!

I think my love of reading was instilled in me at a very young age.  Did I ever tell you I come from a large family?  I have 7 brothers and sisters.  Yep that’s right…there were 8 children in my family and my mother carted us all everywhere she went in our awesome station wagon.  There was no such thing as SUVs back then and a minivan was just a dream for us.  So we all piled in the station wagon, and off we went every week to story time during the summer months.  My mom would bring tote bags for all the books we would eventually check out.  One thing my mother never did was limit the number or types of books we could get.  If they book ended up being too difficult for us to read, well we either muddled through, asked a sibling for help, or got an easier book the next week.  And so began my LOVE-LOVE relationship with reading.

I have taken a page out of my mother’s book (no pun intended) with my own son.  I’ve been reading to him since the first day he was born (although I will admit to reading speech therapy journal articles a time or two when he was in utero…who knows…maybe he’ll become an SLP one day!  I can only hope :)).  We have shelves upon shelves of books in this house, in my son’s bedroom he has his own book shelf, and in my living room I do have two baskets of books always readily available for him when he so chooses.  I change out my books every few months as my son is a child who tends to read the same books over and over again until he is bored with them.  I just take my cue from him and change up his books when he is no longer interested in them.

We also LOVE to go to the library!  Although, story time isn’t the greatest where we live I still take my son to the library regularly so we can check out new books.  He very much LOVES when he gets to carry his “new” books home and we love to snuggle up on the couch and read.

But my favorite time of year at the library is the summer time because of all the cool summer programs libraries’ provide for children these days!  My son and I are participating in the child’s summer reading program where you must read at least 10 mins a day (no problem!) to or with your child.  You document your reading and each week or every so many weeks you can come back to the library to “win” a prize for each week you read!

This is what my son’s reading log for the summer program looks like.  He must color in one object everyday he  reads at least 10 minutes with me.  Of course you can see he wanted to color in the dump trucks after the shovels, so I guess the little groundhogs will have to wait!  Ha!  What a silly kid!!!

In addition to their summer reading program, and story time, our library is also providing free child programs in the library focusing on all types of topics from recycling, to earth and rocks, burrowing and zoo animals, music, to scavenger hunts, and the list goes on.  They also offer free child friendly movies weekly AND they have a listening center for children!  All FREE for parents and children to enjoy!!!

What is your library offering this summer?  Do you know?  I hope you get to take advantage of the wonderful programs that are being offered.  Your child will most definitely benefit and you just might learn some new things too!!!

Happy talking and reading!!!
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