Summer Reading Roundup

What's great about summer reading besides getting caught up in a book? Free books & prizes!

Check out:

Your local library- I just registered my children online for our library's program. The girls are entered to win prizes and get a book once they complete their summer reading. The library is even having an adult summer reading program. Most libraries at least have a program for the kids.

Barnes & Noble- First through sixth graders simply have to fill out a reading journal. Once it is completed they get to pick a book to keep.

BAM- If your child reads specific books from their adventure section, they can get a free pencil case.

Chuck E. Cheese- Check the website for a reading reward calendar (they even have one for teeth brushing). When your child fills up the calendar and brings it in, they get 10 free tokens. The bottom of the certificates say a food purchase is required.

Lifeway- Pick up the journal in store or download it from the website. Kids have to read six books and memorize six scripture verses. They get a free Bible and book.


Do you know of other rewards? Comment below, so we all know about them.

Five Book-free Activities You Already Do That Are Helping Your Children Learn

Educating your children takes more than sitting in a circle and reading. Our everyday activities are extremely important too. I bet you do (or did) all of these things for your children: 

1. Listening to your children talk about their day and telling them about your day. They are learning sequencing.

2. Playing with your children and following their lead. You are building their confidence. It is likely to transfer over to their school subjects as well (Pincus, 2012). 

3. Checking the weather and talking about what to wear. You are helping them apply information to their everyday life, make predictions, and draw conclusions. 

4. Letting them roll down a hill or spin in circles. You are allowing them to build their vestibular system. The vestibular system controls our posture, balance, alertness, concentration, and stillness. It sounds strange, but without this type of movement, kids can't sit still (Connell & McCarthy, 2014). 

5. Listening to music together and singing (no matter what it sounds like). You are naturally developing your children's listening skills (2014). 

Did you get a 5/5?



Connell, G., & McCarthy, C. (2014). A moving child is a learning child: how the body teaches the brain to think (birth to age 7). Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

Pincus, Donna B. Growing up Brave: Expert Strategies for Helping Your Child Overcome Fear, Stress, and Anxiety. Little, Brown and Co., 2012.

One Home, One Book?

I just participated in a Screen-Free Week challenge from an awesome Usborne rep. A couple of nights a week at snack time my daughters pick a few Sesame Street songs on YouTube to watch. Last week we read books every night instead. Because of this my one-year-old daughter was able to listen to the paper page books that I read with my three-year-old daughters throughout the day. She laughed. She followed along. We showed her things in the book together. She is excluded from many activities during the day because of her love of eating small things (and ripping paper). This was one way to make her feel connected and show her sisters that she can be included.

Can this be duplicated for a first and fifth grade set of siblings? Yes, it can.  Right now, many schools are proving that they can with the One School, One Book from ReadtoThem.org, and this can be implemented at home.

I challenge you to try reading the same book to all of your kids. It gives them something else to talk about and another way to connect with each other and to you. It gives them more ideas to use when they play and helps them all feel included. Also, it builds their vocabulary and literacy skills.

I know. It's spring sports time. The musical is in full swing. There is a way to fit it in. It can be brief. Try 5-15 minutes at snack time, right after school, bedtime, an audio book in the car, before they are allowed to watch TV, before baseball practice, after soccer practice, Tuesdays and Thursdays, etc. If you want to make it happen, you can.

It's worth it. My three-year-olds comment and incorporate the books into their play. They make connections through the day. They like to pretend they are the bunnies from A Tale of Peter Rabbit. They pretend that some of their toys are the tuna fish from Swimmy. We make references and connections to the books often. They have their own jokes based on the books. They use words that we normally only read and do not use in everyday conversation. My husband has heard most of the stories too, so he can join in with the conversation. My one-year-old recognizes the stories and reaches for her favorites. When they are able to listen to chapter books, we will incorporate those too.

It's going to look different based on the ages, but I challenge you to give it a try. Kids can listen to books that are beyond their reading level. You could read the same book to your first grader as your seventh grader. They'll have a bond they normally wouldn't have without it.

Here are some chapter book ideas from Read to Them.org.

Need help picking a book? Email me, PM me on FB, or drop a comment below.