Although I seem to spend more time reading a screen than I do a book, reading for me is a given. How would I function if I could not read?
In our family, reading happens everywhere…except the bathroom. I am not a book-in-the-bathroom person. Ewww. We have bookcases in every room except the bathroom.
It’s summer so the kids have days when they are voracious readers and days when they are not. My summer reading tips are as follows:
- Buy books. Yes, I know books are expensive, but kids love to reread old classics or new stories. Invest in books.
- Get each child a library card. Make sure you and your husband have library cards. Carry your library card in your purse or wallet.
- Visit the library regularly for storytimes or summer reading programs.
- Join summer reading programs at the library or bookstores.
- Shop consignment stores for books. I picked up 12 of the 13 Lemony Snicket books for about $10. I found The Complete Wreck (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-13)
on amazon for $94.50!
- Shop Goodwill for books.
- Go through your book collection at home. Pull out books that are too young for your child. Move books that are too young to a younger child’s bedroom.
- Buy each child a bookcase or shelf for their bedroom.
- Create screen-free areas in your house. Our living room does not a TV. There is a CD player if kids want to listen to books on CD. Our girls have laptops, but each child has reading time where the screens are turned off.
- Read the newspaper, read a book, read a menu, read the phone book — read anything while your little kids are in the room.
- For long car trips or lengthy visits to the doctor, have kids pack a book or a puzzle book to do while they wait.
Are you a blogger with kids? Check out this fabulous I Can Read contest over at Twittermoms!
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an “I Can Read!” book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
