Summer is just around the corner!!!
I am so excited to declare that! It has been a challenging year for us - and my children have shown just how hard working they can be. {Proud Mama!}
This year they started off by finishing up the previous year's school work that fell behind due to a few life issues that needed our time and attention last year. But even with this carry-over work from the year before, my kiddos are on track to finish this current year's schoolwork by the end of May! Wow! That was a lot of work!
Let me just say, we are all ready for a nice, relaxing summer! We look forward to play-dates and park-dates, trips to zoos, nature centers, and historical parks, camping, and simply having time to just play outside all-day-long! Doesn't it sound great?! Looser schedules, no schoolwork (at least not visible schoolwork), and plenty of time to READ!
I love Summer Reading! It's our chance to catch up on all the great reading that is set aside during the school year, when time is more limited. And with our ever-growing list of books we want to read, what's more fun then tracking our reading just to see how much we can do!!!
We love to take part in the summer reading games at our local libraries and bookstores. But we often set up our own reading games at home - because it's just so much fun!! I am very excited to share some of those summer reading game ideas and resources with you today! And with summer approaching - now's the time to get ready!
1. Summer Reading Kit
I put this cute reading kit together a few years back. I love the gummy worms - what a great way to kick off summer reading with a sweet treat while you read! You can check out the Summer Reading Kit post here. Or you can just pick up an updated version of the pdf's here to create your own.
2. Summer Reading Bookmark
3. Reading Punch Cards
Another simple and fun way to track reading progress is with these cute punch cards! These are probably my favorite! I made them in 3 different formats to meet different needs - one tracks time read, one tracks books read, and one lets you set your own reading goal. Each of our children are at very different levels of reading, therefore we set different reading goals based on each child. Which is another reason I like these punch cards. You can view my post for the Reading Punch Cards here. Or you can pick up a set of punch cards here.
Now you can't have a summer reading game without prizes! While reading is definitely rewarding in itself, a little incentive to meet a challenging reading goal can be very encouraging! We have local libraries and bookstores that offer a range of prizes from books and book bags to dollar story type toys. We prefer to avoid the latter, which is why we offer our own prizes. We love the idea of earning a book for meeting a reading goal. Another favorite idea is to earn some Book Cash. It works like this - we establish smaller reading goals that can be meet several times throughout the summer. Each goal met = $1 Book Cash. We keep a running total and at the end of the summer they can cash out their Book Cash by going to the local bookstore or picking out a book on Amazon. The punch cards and bookmark work great for this - each completed card could be $1 Book Cash. The bookmark could be $2. Or you can set your own amounts. And because they help pick out their book prize, they are likely to continue reading! Win-Win!
I hope you find these resources and ideas helpful to you this summer. Or maybe this post helps spark some other summer reading ideas for you! Do you already have Summer Reading plans? I'd love to hear about them, or to hear how you are using my resources! Happy Reading!!!
