How to Make a Summer Reading Plan

Photo by Cafe Sheri

If the idea this summer is to avoid your kids' summer brain drain and at least try to keep up the reading practice wherever possible, then you probably have to make a reading plan. Otherwise, all the summer fun will pile up around you and the reading simply won't happen.

Trust me. We're in need of a plan. Like now.

Here are some tips for making a summer reading plan and some summer reading lists for kids.

If you're not one of the lucky parents with kids who love and choose to read on their own, then you might need to make a reading plan. Keep it loose so they don't dig in their heels. But also, make a regular place for reading in your summer schedule.

• Set reading times. Set a regular time, an hour or two, maybe 2-3 times a week, when TV and video games must be turned off and toys set aside. Adults too!
• All reading counts. Let your kids pick their pleasure. If they want to read about Spiderman, just be glad they want to read something. If they want to read magazines or the newspaper, woohoo! All reading is good reading.
• Go to the library. At the library, my son loves looking at all the different kinds of books almost as much as he loves making the choice about which ones he wants to take home. Again, try to step back and let them make the choices. They'll be much more likely to actually read the ones they pick out.
• Reward them with books. Make a deal that you'll buy them one book for every 5 or 10 library books they read. Or if buying books is out of the question, reward them with more library time or let them special order new books at the library.

Need some ideas for Big Kid reading?

Here are some Kids' Summer Reading lists to get your kids started:

• Most Popular Young Adult Books from Goodreads: Here's what's popular right now in fiction for adolescents, roughly ages 12 to 18.
• The Best Kids' Books Ever from NYT Op Ed: Includes goodies like Charlotte's Web, the Hardy Boys, and Anne of Green Gables.
• Summer Reading Roundup 2009 from Chronogram Magazine: A great list that includes picture books, as well as reading for middle graders and young adults.
• Summer Reading List for Kids - Time to "Go Green!" from University of Maryland: An old favorite like The Giving Tree, as well as green books for kids like The Green Teen and Earth Book for Kids.
• Green reads for teens and tweens and Green Reads for Kids from Mother Nature Network: More good eco reads for kids.
• 10 Great Authors in Children's Literature from Simple Mom: Think classic books for beginning readers, like those by authors Arnold Lobel (Frog and Toad books) and Beatrix Potter (The Tale of Peter Rabbit).