Now that it is summer, we’ve gotten out of our typical routine of homework and after school activities. With my children’s current addiction to the iPad and more particularly Minecraft, I’ve decided it’s time to re-implement family reading time with summer reading, especially with the National PTA’s Reading Challenge coming up.
Just before school let out for the summer, I let the kids choose a couple of books from the their teachers scholastic book orders, many of the selections geared toward summer reading. Now when I think they have had too much screen time, we pick out a book and take turns reading.
We were given a series that I have been wanting to purchase for over a year, The Magic Treehouse Series. These amazing books take you on a historical adventure through time – perfect for my littles’ imaginations. I decided to introduce my oldest the the first book, “Dinosaurs Before Dark”, and we dove into the story, waiting to see what happened with the Magic Treehouse, surprised that the characters, Jack and Annie were transformed to the prehistoric world.
In reading this book together, we seemed to bond a little more through imagination. At the end of each chapter, we stopped to talk about what we’d do if we’d discover a dinosaur. I love having these types of opened question with my kids and seeing the spark in their eyes as their story unfolds.
Even though we have a lot of fun things planned for the summer, as displayed on our Summer Bucket List, I’m certainly planning on continuing reading with the family during the summer. Did you know that nearly 40% of parents say their children do not spend enough time reading for fun? Approximately 73% of children get ideas from their parents for books to read for fun – and my kids are certainly the example. I don’t think they’d ever pick up the Magic Treehouse on their own, unless it involved Minecraft.I was thrilled to find out that the National PTA is kicking off a Family Reading Challenge this summer. During the month of July, the National PTA will empower families with tips and activities that encourage ongoing reading. They are challenging you to share photos, videos and memories that demonstrate how and why reading together is a fun and treasured family activity.
Want to join in on the National PTA’s Family Reading Challenge? Find out about the program, sign up and more via this website: National PTA Family Reading Challenge.
