Showing kids that reading can be fun is one of the many challenges of parenting – especially during the summer, when school is out and kids want to play. VTech, creator of the V.Reader e-book for kids, asked TheMotherhood.com, an online community of moms, to provide their ultimate tip list for encouraging kids to read. Moms came through with hundreds of suggestions, and here are the top ten:
- Integrate Reading into Real Life: Show children that reading can be both practical and fun. Try reading recipes and creating goodies together, or read a story and then re-enact a favorite scene for other family members, complete with props and basic sets.
- Ask Your Pet to Lend an Ear: Encourage your children to read aloud to the family dog or a favorite stuffed animal. Your youngsters will get to practice their reading, and pets make great listeners!
- Create an Intimate Space: Make reading exciting with indoor “campouts.” Use sheets and chairs to help your kids make tents, pile blankets and pillows inside, and bring snacks and a stack of books. Reading with a flashlight will add novelty to the activity.
- Reward Reading Comprehension: Set aside one night each week for a “quiz night,” when you can read to your kids and give them rewards, such as money to set aside for more books, for answering comprehension questions correctly.
- Throw a Book Party: Make reading a social activity. Invite a few of your child’s friends to your house and ask them to bring a favorite book. Provide snacks and games that incorporate reading.
- Get Involved Locally: Check area libraries, bookstores and even bank branches. They will often host story hours or summer reading programs for kids, offering incentives for reading a certain number of books.
- Think Outside the Box – or Book: You don’t need to use books alone to encourage kids to read. Ask your child to read things like street signs and menus when you are out and about, or put closed captioning on the TV so he can see as well as hear the words of his favorite shows.
- Give Them a Choice: Set aside an hour or two of quiet time during the day, and tell your kids they can either read or take a nap during that period. Letting them choose to read will remind them that they can choose reading at other times, too.
- Write Stories Together: Reading and writing go hand in hand. Write stories with your kids one word at a time – you write one word, they read it and write one word of their own – until you have a story you created together.
- Play to Their Interests: Let your kids read about subjects they already enjoy. From
Pokemon to ponies, if they are fascinated by a topic, they will love reading about it.
This list will be on the V.Tech website and one lucky contributor will be winning a VTech V.Reader and three animated storybook cartridges (worth over $110!). They will love it - it quickly became one of our favorite toys! And, finally, I wanted to share with you the amazing Summer Reading Packet that my daughter Ellie came home with this summer. It has been tremendously helpful and wanted to show it to you:
Disclosure: I was provided with a V.Reader for review purposes by VTech and TheMotherhood and was compensated for my time in writing this post. As always all opinions are mine.
for them to try out and review. My husband just got a Nook - which they are NOT allowed to touch. And now they have their own e-Reader, designed specifically for kids aged 3 - 7 years old! 
by Bob Kolar. Its an adorable story about a big bear trying to learn to play soccer. The kids thought it was funny and they loved the colorful illustrations of animals playing soccer! Its intended for ages 4-6, but our two-year-old son totally loved it and keeps asking to read "GOAL BEAR!" again. 
by Mina Javaherbin. Its a gorgeous book about boys playing soccer in an alley in South Africa. Archbishop Desmond Tutu described it perfectly as "uplifting and inspiring, this
beautifully written and illustrated book reminds us of the joys and saving
grace of friendship and sport. Set in South Africa, this book is a gift
for 
to 
, which focuses on the importance of going to church as a family to 
, which teaches about loving others who are different. (
, for example. It was a wonderful story about Sister Bear reaching out to a new cub, who is a little different. But then her best friend gets jealous and is mean to Sister and leaves her out of their group of friends. Sister is advised by Brother Bear to love her friend, ask her whats wrong and to extend forgiveness (all with supporting by Bible verses). Sister reaches out to her jealous friend and they work it out. Then, the book provides discussion questions and activities that relate to the book's lesson. 
by fashion blogger extraordinaire Winona Dimeo-Ediger of 
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