We need all the ideas we can get to help keep our kids occupied this summer!
Libraries often have summer reading programs that you can join in, but last summer I made my own. That way I was able to use things that were more of an incentive for my son and to put our own requirements with it.
Summer Reading:
- First, you have to decide if you allow any books or only certain types. My son had to read chapter books for the pages to count and we counted Bible pages extra.
- You set the numbers of pages where prizes are given. Our first prize was at 100 pages to get him started. After that, the prizes were further apart, getting better each time with a final goal for the end of summer (I don't have the list, but I think it was 1500 pages) and a really good prize. He read a lot of pages, but didn't quite make that final goal. It was a good one to try for - and if he would have read every day, he would have hit it for sure.
- You determine the prizes. We started with an item from Dollar Tree, then a treat from Dairy Queen, then a personal pizza from Pizza Hut. I know we also had a rollerskating rink session with Dad toward the end and a lego set for the final prize. We'll change all the prizes this time. You can do this as inexpensively as you want - have kids draw a little item out of a bag, let them choose what's for dinner, no chores for a day/week, etc. It's best to get input from the kids to see what really gets them motivated.
- Have the goals and tracking in a visible place. We kept ours on the refrigerator.
Have fun and happy reading!
Also, I just saw 2 cool things in a family craft book...
* Use masking tape with the sticky side out to make a bracelet for your child and let them stick all the things they find in nature to it - leaves, rocks, feathers, etc.
* Make dad a keepsake by decorating a baseball (#1 Dad, kids autograph it, etc.), putting it on a candlestick holder and tying a wire or ribbon bow around the holder.
To get LOTS more summer ideas for your kids, go to Works-for-me-Wednesday at Rocks In My Dryer.
