Summer is known for making even the smartest kids forgetful. That’s why it’s important to help your kids sharpen up before they get back to school, and there’s no better way to do that than encouraging a bit of reading. Reading helps your kids get their gears turning after that midsummer slump, and it’s easy to bring them back into it without making it homework.
1. Focus on Your Child’s Interests: Help your child find a book about something he or she is interested in. This not only helps keep your child engaged in the reading material, but chances are it’ll be easier to get them to sit down and read next time.
2. Take Advantage of Tech: Lots of elementary schools are switching to tablets and other sorts of personal devices to help keep kids organized and keep their homework and study materials compact. But tablets are also a good way to encourage reading. They are tools most kids are still learning to explore, and giving them to option to do something productive with that tool is even better.
3. Give Them Something More Challenging: Start the school year off with a book at a reading level higher than your child may be used to. Challenge them early and the rest of the school year will feel like a breeze!
4. Read Together: Take the time to sit down with your kids for some reading. If you’re reading alongside them, it won’t feel as much like a chore as it is quality family time. Not to mention, when young readers see how “boring” grown up books are, their books will seem all the more interesting!
5. Offer Incentives: This is a good trick for teens as well as elementary school kids, because incentives are easy to cater to the individual. You might even offer a pizza party with friends upon completion of a young adult reader.
