There are many reasons why kids and adults alike can’t wait for summer time to arrive. The kids want a break from school!  However, this is prime time to work on shoring up important skills – like reading.

Here are a few fun reading projects to tackle.

The New State Question Game

This game covers many different aspects of education for children. It covers reading, reading comprehension,  and even history. The rules are pretty simple to follow.

1. When a family travels and crosses into a new state, stop at the first visiting center.  These centers are filled with brochures about the state, give one to each child.
2. They also have a huge map of the state with those little “you are here” stickers on them so you might want to make a stop there and challenge kids to find certain locations for fun.
3. Back in the car, have each child study their brochure for a period of time.  When the time is up, parents can collect the brochure or let the kids keep them for reference.  Then it’s time for questions!

It isn’t a test, it’s supposed to be fun.  Throw in questions about the state’s history, capital, birds, and other bits of detail concerning the state.  You might surprised at what your kids picked up on.

If it’s a round trip, when the family is on the way home the parents can ask the same set of questions to see what the children retained from their trip.

You Might Find Something Fun To Explore

If you’re willing to follow your children’s curiosity, these visiting centers point to nook and cranny places that are worth visiting.  These places offer additional educational experiences for all involved. They also offer up the chance to create memories that were unexpected. Not to mention, it makes a great conversation piece for kid’s future essays that they will have to write about their summer vacations.

Turn To Tech On Scalding Hot Days

Summer heatwaves are made more survivable by our tech gadgets.

If you have a smart phone or tablet, there’s a slew of educational apps for all subjects and all age groups on both Apple and Android systems available for free.

If you don’t have a handheld gadget to work with, there are also several programs available to use on the computer.

Fun Online Reading Resources

• ReadingEggs.com – This program helps kids from ages 3-13 years old. The kids earn eggs as they progress on levels at their own pace. Theses one-on-one lessons are designed based off the child’s particular needs.
• Headsprout.com  – This is a site designed for K-1 graders.This is an intensive online lesson plan for young kids to follow along with to learn how to read. The first level offers 40 individual lessons for the child to progress through. They guarantee that when your child is done with those lessons that they will be able to read up to a first grade reading level with this program.
• ABCMouse.com – This is a perfect website for PreK-K students. It is filled with all the resources to teach them standard curriculum. The best part is the child BEGS to be able to do it. A parent can give the child freedom to explore this site, and they will learn something new or have fun refreshing up on skills they have already learned.
• ReadingHorizons.com – This is a site for people age 4-adult. They offer different bundles filled with resources both online and offline to help a person conquer reading.

Enjoy Your Local Library This Summer

If you’re local library has air conditioning, it will become a favorite hideout for your family.

Many libraries offer a reading program that includes challenges and host educational events throughout the summer months.  Warning: A parent may end up reading to their child quite a bit MORE during these challenges. It’s so worth it though!!

Do you have some favorite ways to encourage more summer reading time?