No minimum page counts. No incentives. No countdown clocks. No video game ban threats. Instead, according to this article, just put books in front of kids in the places they’re most likely to get bored and watch what happens.
This article’s theory is especially interesting in light of the typical library summer reading program which does many of these things you’re not supposed to – incentivizing reading with contests, rewards for reaching certain page or minute counts and so on.
The article does speak highly of libraries as the best place to get that wide variety of books that will tempt your kid though…
Frequent trips to the library not only allow you to fill your bookcases at no cost, they are a great place to linger in cool quiet during the heat of summer. And lingering in a place with a lot of books might lead to reading. If your child doesn’t want to go, tell him you need to go, and say that the most convenient time for you is during a trip to take him somewhere he wants to go.
…as well as the value of leisure reading (and knowing that’s different than the type of required reading you often have to do at school):
If she only reads for school, she may think that reading means plodding through a “classic” book, start to finish, and that leisure reading differs only because she doesn’t have to write a report when she’s done. But leisure readers know that reading can mean non-fiction, or graphic novels, or manga. Leisure readers feel free to skip around, peek at the conclusion, skim boring parts, or drop a book altogether. If your child doesn’t know these things, tell her.
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