By Kitty Felde
Libraries are gearing up for summer reading programs and teachers are handing out summer reading assignments. Now, it’s up to you to make sure that reading gets done.
As you know, it can be a challenge getting your child to actually pick up a book when the weather is perfect and the outdoors beckons. But parents are up to the task.
A new survey reports that the vast majority of parents – 82% – are embracing summer reading this year and say they plan to join their child in their reading journey.
The survey comes from ThriftBooks, the web-based seller of used books. The company commissioned a national marketing company to query two thousand parents across the country with kids between the ages of eight and seventeen and asked them about reading.
SUMMER READING
The survey found that teachers assign on average three books to be completed over the summer. The most commonly assigned titles are also kid favorites:
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (36%)
- Harry Potter (30%)
- Charlotte’s Web (28%)
- A Series of Unfortunate Events (25%)
- The Chronicles of Narnia (22%)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (21%).
When the survey asked kids what genres they liked to read, more than half said books with lots of action and adventure. Mysteries or fantasy books were the choice of about half the kids surveyed, and about 40% said they liked scary stories.
If you’re looking for book suggestions for summer reading, check out our Books We Love page on the Book Club for Kids podcast website. There are hundreds of kid-recommended titles listed.
But back to the task of getting kids to pick up a book.
MAKE IT A HABIT FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
A reading habit – especially during the summer months away from the classroom – is created at home, with parents modeling. In other words, if you’re seen regularly picking up a book, children are more likely to follow your example. In the survey, kids reported that moms are most likely to be observed reading – 63% of moms.
Dads aren’t keeping up. The survey says just 20% of kids ever see their father reading. Dads, it’s up to you to pick up the slack.
Kitty Felde is host of the award-winning Book Club for Kids podcast. She also writes the Fina Mendoza Mysteries series, designed to introduce civics to kids.