TIPS FOR ENCOURAGING SUMMER READING
Make sure your kids have plenty of books. Take your kids to the library or the bookstore to pick out some interesting new books. Go to yard sales, and sort through the books there. Organize a book swap in your neighborhood. Do whatever you need to do to keep a fresh supply of books around.
Always pack up books, magazines or newspapers whenever you go somewhere, for your kids and for yourself. Make sure your kids see you reading, whether it's on the beach, while waiting for the softball game to start, or at home.
Try to keep some time available for reading. This is perhaps the hardest thing, as schedules fill up with sports, cookouts, trips and movies. These are all fun, too. But there's no substitute for the occasional afternoon spent under a tree exploring far-off worlds through books.
Encourage social reading. If your child wants to read a book because other kids are reading it, by all means get a copy. This reinforces the idea that reading is cool, and gives your child a chance to talk about the book with others. Take the kids to see a movie based on a book, and also read the book. Do whatever you can to make reading cool and social.
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