Summer outdoor reading room

With summer in full swing, I spend a lot of time reminding my kids to read. As a teacher, I’m always reminding parents that a break from the day-to-day responsibilities of going to school should not mean a break from the responsibilities of school work. Spending time reading over the summer will help reduce the “Summer Slide” when students return to the classroom in the autumn.

Preventing the "Summer Slide"

I see the Summer Slide first hand as a teacher, and know the impact daily reading can have on kids. To encourage my own kids to read this summer we’ve hit the bookshop and made several trips to the library. My kids make a thousand excuses about NOT reading because they don’t want to stop the fun of summer and be reminded of the work of school. To help encourage a little more reading, I decided to create an outdoor reading room to entice my non-eager readers.

Create an outdoor reading room

Cover a clothesline with a sheet or blanket to create the feeling of a fort. Add a soft blanket and a few pillows for an open invitation to relax with a good book. To encourage more reading and less play in this space, add a reading wagon stocked with favourite books, a reading diary and pencils, a few snacks, and an extra blanket. Who could resist this type of reading invitation?

Think about your home right now. Is there a place you could set up a reading room for your child? Who knows – it may be just the thing your child needs to get excited to spend their summer reading!