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The Best Summer Reading EVER (how to get your kids to read and get them FREE rewards for doing it!)

I'm a nerd and that's okay. I love reading; always have, always will. I have tried very hard to instill a love of reading in my students and that is not an easy thing to do, but the benefits are HUGE. There are so many studies out there that prove how daily reading can drastically make a difference in a student's academic career- it improves ACT scores, their vocabulary, their comprehension, etc. The trick is to get them to read something they LIKE! Force feeding topics, authors, genres, etc will only make reading feel like a chore. Here are a few options to help make reading fun and enjoyable!


1) REWARDS: Reading is a GOOD THING! Reward your kiddos for doing it! Set a goal to read however many books and when they reach their goal, you can take them to get an ice-cream cone from McDonald's (that's $1), or a day-trip to a water park or hiking in a local park- sometimes just spending time with them is all they really want anyway (click this link to create your own family rewards program). Have them write down which books they read over the summer and if any of them are Accelerated Reader books, write down the quiz number. CLICK HERE FOR FREE SUMMER READING LOG. That will come in handy over the school year! Local libraries offer rewards of all kinds! My oldest, Locke, won a Kindle Fire last summer from Livingston Parish Library! In fact, the LP Summer Kickoff is May 28 ( and ends July 31) and is usually a blast where the kids get all kinds of free stuff to promote reading over the summer. East Baton Rouge Parish has a reading program as well where kids get a fee book and other cool stuff! PS- The Summer Reading program is for adults too! Adults can win prizes for reading 3 books and get entered into drawings to win more.

**Look at the bottom of this post for summer reading rewards programs from places like Barnes and Noble and Amazon.




2) AudioBooks- I wasn't really a fan of audio-books until I found Hooplah (another free option from the LP Library). Some of these books are read dramatically and I can listen on long road trips or even just on my daily commute (although the woman doing the man voice in The Wife Between Us is currently ooging me out). Hooplah is an app that works with Kindle Fire, iPhones, and other devices, and you can check out up to 7 books/movies a month! Kids can listen while they ride, or can even listen to the audio book while reading the actual book (some kids really like this method). BONUS*- There is a "Kid's Mode" so that they can't access the adult books you check out (I like murder mysteries- so I switch to kids mode when mine are listening).

Another option for audiobooks is called Tumblebooks- where the book is read aloud on the computer while the words are being highlighted for the kids to follow along- these typically come with a follow-up crossword puzzle or something fun afterwards. *NOTE- you can search by AR points! For a FREE log-in to Tumblebooks, use your Livingston Parish library card or message me for more information.




3) Background Sound for Young Readers- An elementary school told me about the app called Novel Effect. The child (or parent) reads the book aloud, and the app listens for "trigger words" and adds background music depending on the section you are reading. I tried this out with "Goodnight Moon" and when I read the part about the "quiet old lady whispering hush", you hear the sound of the rocking chair and the lady hushing. It makes reading so much fun! The book list is limited, but constantly growing.


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4) Magazines- many of my students wouldn't want to read a book, but would devour a magazine on a topic they enjoyed (like hunting, celebrities, art, etc). Livingston Parish Library offers Flipster- an online magazine collection- and it's really good! There are all kinds of magazines on there that will interest students: American Girl, People, Wood Magazine, Rifle Shooter, Broken Pencil, Better Homes and Garden, Horse and Rider, and many more! This is FREE with your LP library card or with the LP Student's ID number. Click here to get that digital log-in information.


Just a FEW of the magazine options from Flipster
Just a FEW of the magazine options from Flipster

Reading over the summer is something that the kids should look forward to. I remember making trips to the old Watson Library (next to Peno's gas station) and the cold air hitting me when we walked in to find the books for the next two weeks (hello Nancy Drew and Boxcar Children and Babysitters Club!). One thing I've learned is that my kids value EXPERIENCES OVER THINGS- give them the gift of the library experience over the summer. It's free, it's fun, and it can spark a lifelong love of reading.



SUMMER READING REWARD PROGRAMS



 
 
 

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