This blog post is created in affiliation with Half Price Books

Kids lose an average of 1.5 months of knowledge over the Summer, but reading, even for 15 minutes a day can help bridge that gap! Don’t let your kids fall behind for this next school year.

I have partnered with Half Price Books to bring you a list of SIX ways you can keep your kids reading and learning ALL Summer long. And logging their minutes for earning FREE BOOKWORM BUCKS (a free book or close to a free book by the end of the Summer). I will explain below.

The first way to get kids reading…

Summer Reading Programs

Reading Programs through libraries and bookstores are SO awesome and already structured for you! Did you know Half Price Books holds a Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program?! They want to encourage kids to feed their brain all Summer and prevent the Summer slide (where kids who do nothing over the Summer lose an average of 1.5 months of). From June 1-July 31, kids 14 and under can keep track of their reading minutes on a reading log from Half Price Books. Kids are encouraged to read at least 15 minutes a day. Once they reach 300 minutes they can stop by their nearest Half Price Books wherethey can turn in their reading log and earn a $5 Bookworm Buck for June and July.

 

Another really great thing they offer is a list of suggested titles to read broken down by age group on the back of a bookmark, which can be found online and printed off or picked up in store. Such a great jumping point for getting some good book ideas for your kids.

Plus, if you kids are over 14, they have a pretty great option for them too! You can read more about it HERE

Keep kids reading by telling them to Bring a Book!

Encourage your kids to bring a book with them EVERYWHERE they go. As you are leaving, and already telling them to go to the bathroom and get shoes on, just make it a habit to say Grab a Book, too! This way wherever you are they have something to distract them and you will find they read a lot more. Last Summer, Bennett (age 9), kept track of all the different places he read. It was really motivating to him to try to read in a lot of odd or on-the-go locations.

 

We love Audiobooks!

I canNOT tell you enough how great this is for our family! They have really made books come alive for my kids. When is the perfect time to encourage kids to listen to an audiobook during the Summer…

Quiet afternoon time (during nap time for younger siblings or down time)

Driving around in the car (running errands)

Long road trips or airplane flights

Getting kids hooked on a book series, so they want to read the next book. This is one of my key ways to get Bennett (age 10) reading a new book series. Sometimes I only let him listen to the first few chapters and then he is ready to pick up the book and get reading.

Just about any time your kids ask for screen time, you can try to sub it with an audiobook. They provide hours of entertainment at our house. Because my kids love to gather around and color or grab a snuggly blanket and lay down and listen to a story and I can get things done, instead of being involved in a read aloud situation.

Snacks!

Another really fun way to encourage your little readers is to create a bucket of NEW FUN snacks! A bucket of FUN snacks (snacks your kids don’t usually get) reserved only for quiet readers. I fill it full of small chip bags, juice boxes, popcorn bags, Fruit By The Foot (type gummy snacks), pudding cups, etc. (these are rare snacks at our house, so these treats feel extremely fun).  Let your kids grab a snack and sit somewhere quiet to read. The rule with picking a snack is that they have to commit to reading at least 20 minutes.

 

Chewing Gum and a Reading!

I use this for my reluctant or beginning readers. Get a tupperware and fill it with bubble gum balls, bubble tape, etcThe flavor on these pieces of gum lasts about 5 to 8 minutes and once the flavor is gone they can either pick a new piece or call it quits. Sometimes it is easier for struggling readers/beginning readers to work in short spurts and not feel overwhelmed. And this also makes it feel less like a chore to sit down to read with a piece of gum in their mouth.