Summer Reading Program

by Sue Tallakson
(Opelika, AL, USA)

I LOVE to read (can't remember when I didn't) so you can imagine my dismay that my child was a "reluctant" reader! I tried everything to encourage a love of reading (so many that I won't bore you with even a short list of the seemingly hundreds of things I tried.) Finally, one summer I said, "OK, our focus for the summer is going to be reading - and we're going to HAVE FUN, REALLY, I MEAN IT!!!"

At that point, I devoted myself to the FUN aspect of it. I got myself together, made a plan, gathered my materials, and presented it to my children.

Yes, it was met with more than a little skepticism (I'm famous for plans that don't come to fruition.) But, somehow (must have been divine intervention) I managed to pull this one off.

Here's what I did: I put together a list of prizes for number of books read. Those prizes ranged from gum and Dollar Store items to big LEGO sets (clearance endcaps at Target). I mean my prize box was overflowing with goofy, fun, silly, and educational things (and did I mention that there were some fantastic books in there, sneaky, I know.) There were also things like coupons for ice cream cones (redeemable ANYTIME) and one major trip to a water park. Each prize cost a number of points(one point=one book read) and each point could only be used once.

The children could read ANY book for a point twice - EVEN little board books with only one word per page. I kept up with what they read (3-ring binder w/ cardstock and a sticker after each book title for each time they read it.)

The program was VERY successful! For one thing, they could immediately earn points quickly. For another, I was serious about making it work. I would drop whatever I was doing to go to the library for more books or even to record the books they had just finished.

By the end of the summer, both children were bookworms (and enjoyed a fantastic trip to the water park!) It was well worth it - and it was fun! Happy Reading!

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