Fun In The Sun!

Summer is just around the corner and for many children the idea of not having to wake up to find a yellow school bus parked in front of their house is the very definition of happiness.  Unfortunately, without a schedule, it can be harder to stick with daily reading routines or reinforce the literacy skills you have worked so hard on all year. There is no denying that concentration on schoolwork takes a backseat to the fun and fantasy of summer vacation.  But less homework and more daylight can work in your reading favor.  Tap into your kid's imaginations by trying these simple summer ideas and have fun with learning!

Stick to It

Place strips of masking tape, sticky sides facing out, around your children's wrists.  Send them outside and encourage them to find items to decorate their backyard bracelets.  Once they have sufficiently covered their wrists, talk about what kind of magic powers their bracelets can perform.  Oral storytelling is a long lost practice that can help children learn to formulate coherent thoughts, speak with inflection and enthusiasm and practice new vocabulary.  Let your littlest explorers take center stage and wow you with his enchanted experience.

Chalk Talk

Sidewalk chalk is low maintenance, cheap and fun for all ages.  While sitting at a desk and writing may be losing its appeal, standing outside with oversized, colorful writing implements can be a fresh way to read and write. Fun In The Sun!

While your children are away, step outside and write several secret messages for them to decode.  For instance, spell a sentence backwards that, once decoded, reveals a place in your yard where several different balls are waiting.  Children can be encouraged to make up their own games with the balls, after they write the rules, or map out the playing area, with chalk of course!

Wet and Wild

Water play is one of the highlights of summer days, but that doesn't mean you can't sneak some spelling in also. Using a household bucket and sponges, line up three buckets, each one further away then the next.  The bucket that is furthest away will be worth the most points, but will also mean the contestant has to spell the hardest word.  Give each child his own water bucket and oversized sponge.  Participants will take turns tossing wet sponges into one of the three buckets for possible points.  If she reaches the bucket and spells the word correctly, she receives the points.  If she misses, the bucket or the word, her opponent gets to wring his sponge out on top of her head.  A sure fire way to soak up some good spelling habits!

The countdown to classes being dismissed doesn't have to mean the end of learning.  Take advantage of warmer weather and relaxed schedules with games that combine entertainment and education.


Helen Coronato is a former middle school English teacher and children's librarian, who designed and facilitated literary workshops for parents and children. She now enjoys a career as a freelance writer, program facilitator and full time mother.  Her book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reading With Your Children will be released Summer 2007 and offers hands-on strategies for creating a literacy rich home using great stories, fun activities and manageable goal setting.  No expensive programs, no grandiose delusions; just well organized, age appropriate ideas for baiting your bookworm or reaching even the most reluctant readers.
Please visit the author at www.helencoronato.com.


Rearing Readers is a monthly momready column, written by Helen Coronato, about creative ways to encourage children of all ages to read.

iStockphoto.com/Maartje van Caspel