{"id":9304,"date":"2023-06-16T05:00:41","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T09:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/?p=9304"},"modified":"2023-06-20T10:50:22","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T14:50:22","slug":"how-to-help-kids-tackle-required-summer-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/how-to-help-kids-tackle-required-summer-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"Rated \u201cR\u201d for Required: How To Help Your Kids Tackle Their Required Summer Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"

I still can\u2019t live down that time I didn\u2019t do my summer reading.<\/p>\n

It was the summer before graduate school. The book: Robert Caro\u2019s 1,246-page, Pulitzer-Prize winning tome, The Power Broker<\/em><\/a>. I had all summer<\/em> and simply procrastinated to the point that starting was futile. The book was meant to give us budding, wannabe reporters a richer, larger context for the city \u2014 New York \u2014 in which we were being groomed. Every time someone referenced it in lectures or small groups, I slunk down in my seat and tried my very best to disappear. It was hopeless. You can\u2019t speed-read 1200+ pages.<\/p>\n

For kids who might similarly find themselves facing a fat book that holds slim interest, I want nothing but to save them from the same lifetime of shame and regret \u2014 or, at the very least, save you, dear parents, from weeks of incessant nagging. And to that end, I spoke to librarian Lori Frumkin, of the Chicago Public Library (CPL), who is one of the forces behind CPL\u2019s Summer Learning Challenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I learned about how to help your kids with their required summer reading.<\/p>\n

Required doesn\u2019t have to be a bad word.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cRequired\u201d doesn\u2019t necessarily mean the book will be a long bore \u2014 even if kids assume it does.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it\u2019s the word \u2018required,\u2019\u201d says Frumkin. \u201cIt makes people think, this isn\u2019t something I want<\/em> to do but that I have<\/em> to do. But, from what I\u2019ve seen, it\u2019s a list the teacher has curated and developed and usually there are some great books on there.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just about the book, it\u2019s about the experience<\/em> of reading.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If the title isn\u2019t a fit, but it\u2019s a must-read, then your best bet is to create an environment around reading that\u2019s fun. Connect the characters or storyline to the real world \u2014 and talk about them. Frumkin has endless suggestions \u2014 cooking a dish inspired by the book, going to a museum or taking a road trip relevant to a character, tackling a relevant science or a design project. Draw. Write. Paint.<\/p>\n

Yes, this is a lot more work for you as a parent. Also yes, it works.<\/p>\n

But, yes, sometimes the problem is<\/em> the book.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

And that\u2019s fine. A child doesn\u2019t have to love every book he or she picks up \u2014 just like you, adult reader, don\u2019t have to love every title you start.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay to read a book and not like it. It\u2019s okay to have criticism,\u201d says Frumkin. \u201cYou can talk to other people about it, or write a review \u2014 those are good skills for a child to have.\u201d<\/p>\n

And sometimes, it\u2019s the reader.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A lot of so-called \u201creluctant readers\u201d simply haven\u2019t found the right book, says Frumkin. So if you have options for summer reading, it can help to be flexible when it comes to genre or title.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t change the book, again, you can<\/em> change the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs opposed to saying, \u2018Go in your room, do it, and get it done,\u2019 you want to make it a different experience,\u201d says Frumkin. \u201cTalk about it. Why do you like it? Why do you not like it? Let\u2019s lounge out. Let\u2019s make a reading tent in the living room, or another cozy spot to read<\/em>. If they don\u2019t love the book, make the experience as fun as it can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bribing is okay.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Think about it. What do most library summer reading programs do? They have built-in incentives \u2014 points! prizes! That extra, external motivation is sometimes all a kid needs to get through even the least compelling book. (Here are some tips on Reading Rewards That Work<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Your local library is there for you.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t go it alone. Your local library is bound to have a summer reading program that can be hacked to meet your needs.<\/p>\n

At CPL, the program isn\u2019t just about summer reading, it\u2019s about summer learning <\/em>\u2014 and they break that down into three parts.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Read.<\/strong> The goal is 500 minutes over the entire summer.
\n\u2022 Discover.<\/strong> Investigate something.
\n\u2022 Create<\/strong>. Make something.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to promote those 21st-century learning skills \u2014 like creativity and problem-solving,\u201d explains Frumkin. \u201cKids are already reading with us all summer. So the learning program brings in some new kids, maybe kids who are reluctant readers. We have something to attract them, too \u2014 and we link everything with reading.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why does required summer reading exist? Because we need it.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Says Frumkin, \u201cResearch shows \u2014 and we know \u2014 the more they read over the summer, the better they combat the summer slide and build those academic skills rather than losing them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget the basics.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It goes without saying that a few simple strategies help set everyone up for success \u2014 parents and kids alike.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Start early.<\/strong> Twenty minutes per day for 25 days sure beats 500 minutes in three days.
\n\u2022\u00a0Schedule it. <\/strong>If you make<\/em> time for reading, you\u2019ll have <\/em>time for reading.
\n\u2022\u00a0Read together.<\/strong> Everything\u2019s better together, including reading.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How do you motivate a not-so-motivated reader? Share your tips with us in the comments below!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking to motivate a not-so-motivated reader? Check out these simple tips for helping your child get through their required reading.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":9323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[80,116,327,826],"coauthors":[43],"class_list":["post-9304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-summer-reading","tag-parenting","tag-summer-slide","tag-summer","ages_stages-tween","ages_stages-teen"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Help Your Kids Tackle Their Required Summer Reading | Brightly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Save yourself from weeks of incessant nagging with these simple tips for parents looking to help their kids get through their required summer reading.\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/how-to-help-kids-tackle-required-summer-reading\/\" \/>\n<meta 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