Reading over screens
Real quick, this isn’t an anti-screens post. Screens are an important tool for me as a fulltime mom who also tries to work sometimes. BUT, I think we can all agree that reading is better than screens. So, I’m trying to encourage my kids to read during my work time/their quiet time as much as possible.
I’m also being more intentional about my kids’ reading this summer from an academic standpoint. I grew up an avid reader, and never really had allotted “reading time.” So, I figured it would be the same for my kids. But, everyone is not the same, and I’ve noticed in the past year that I need to set actual expectations for summer reading (in addition to our nightly read before bed as this time seems to shrink by the day with more activities/friends/busy-ness). So… yesterday we went to the library and I did actual research about which books they might enjoy which leads me to… the ways I’m encouraging reading over screens this summer.
Books all over the house: We are not keeping books in bookshelves in bedrooms this summer. I’ve got books on coffee tables, books in a basket by the TV, books on the kitchen table. Kids are often out of sight, out of mind, and so I want to make sure their reading material is easy to see and pickup.
Summer reading challenge: We joined our local library system’s summer reading challenge which involves logs, activities, and prizes. It’s especially motivating to my oldest daughter. And already, she’s logged more reading time than I think she probably read all summer last year. The library’s ‘activity list’ is also full of fun ideas to fill our summer days.
Researched book lists: In the past, I’ve always just told my kids to “pick out some books!” at the library. We often end up with a super random assortment of books no one is actually interested in reading. So, I spent a good amount of time researching my kids’ ages and interests. I let them play and hangout while I went around and found the books myself, and placed holds on titles that weren’t available that day. Below are some books I picked for them:
Tween Boy (who has recently refused reading anything other than Diary of a Wimpy Kid):
The Terrible Two - I’m really excited about this one. It’s described as a ‘laugh out loud’ series by Mac Barnett and Jory John. Jory John writes all of the ‘good egg’ books which we’ve always loved.
House of Robots - Did you know John Patterson writes kids’ books? I did not. We are starting this series together and already liking it a few chapters in.
Late Elementary Girl
Cupcake Diaries - These are graphic novels about a group of friends, and some of my personal favorite to read with her.
Babysitters Little Sister - No explanation needed on the series. These are the graphic novel versions for younger readers.
Sweet Valley Twins - My girl is all about the graphic novel series right now. This one is interesting to read but disclaimer, some parts involve the girls being pretty mean/bullying. The lesson is always, bullying is bad. But, I do often stop reading to say to my daughter, ‘this is REALLY mean, and we would never ever act like this.’
Preschool Girl
The picture book options are limitless, but some of our favorites have always been The Questioneers (Ada Twist, Rosie Revere, etc.), Elephant & Piggie (and any Mo Willems books, really), and The Food Group books by Jory John, mentioned above
Phew ok, that was a lot. I hope this helps someone who, like me, is finally looking past their Type B tendencies and doing more than hoping for the best on summer reading. Let me know if you have any more recommendations, I’d love to hear them!