Teaching Heart Blog

First I think it is important to make reading a daily occurrence. I find that I remember to have my kids read if I have set times during the day for reading. We have silent reading time in the afternoon (after lunch). Sometimes my son will read to my daughter or read out loud to himself. Sometimes we will listen to a story on CD and follow along in the book. Often I will read to the kids. Every night before bed, we read to the kids. My son (six) loves the Magic Tree House series. My daughter (3) loves Eric Carl and Dr. Seuss to name a few.

Also, having some sort of incentive chart helps keep my kiddos want to read. There is one here you can print and use. We are currently using our local library’s charts. My son gets to cross off tickets for each hour he reads (or we read to him) and at the end of the summer, he gets to spend his tickets at the library. We try to get in an hour and a half of reading a day with him. About 45 min. of him reading on his own and about 45 min. of us reading to him. My daughter gets to cross out suns for every 20 min. of reading she does and will get a small prize for reading. Many town libraries have programs going on, be sure to check out what your library has to offer.

There are many online programs you could check out…

Join Scholastic’s Summer Challenge and be part of a team quest to eat, sleep, and dream books all summer! Find great reads, play book-based games, and help Scholastic support Save the Children! Your minutes can also count toward the World Record Challenge.

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading – If your kids read 8 books this summer they can earn a free book at a Barnes & Noble store. Children bring their completed Reading Journal to a Barnes & Noble store between May 26th & September 7th, 2009 and are given a coupon for a free book.

Borders Kids Reading Challenge
Kids 12 and under read any 8 books.
List the books you’ve read on the Reading Challenge Worksheet.

Have a parent/guardian sign the completed worksheet.
Bring your completed worksheet to any Borders or Waldenbooks store between May 26 and August 31 to save 50% or more on selected items.