Summer should be a break from school, not from learning. Making sure that kids are reading throughout the summer is a great way to keep their minds active and ensure a smooth transition back to the classroom come fall. This is especially important during the tween years when activities such as playing sports, attending summer camp and watching TV begin to compete more for your child’s free time.
While all parents hope that their children will read for pleasure on their own, this is not always the case. To help give parents a list of books they can suggest to their kids this summer, Sylvan Learning has compiled the following summer reading list for tweens in grades four through eight, based on the most popular books on their Book Adventure website.
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
2. Harry Potter
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians
4. The Hunger Games series
5. Charlotte’s Web
6. Hatchet
7. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
8. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
9. Holes
10. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
For most parents of tweens, merely buying their children a book isn’t enough to get them reading. Here are five ways you can encourage your tween to read this summer:
1. Let Them Choose: Kids spend all year long reading books that are required as a part of their school’s curriculum. Summer is a great time for tweens to explore their interests and pick a book that they WANT to read instead of HAVE to read. In fact, a new survey[i] commissioned by Sylvan Learning found that 65 percent of parents with tweens in grades four through eight said that letting the child choose the book helps get him or her interested in reading it.
2. Reap the Rewards: There are a number of companies that give kids rewards for reading. Sylvan’s Book Adventure lets kids search for books to read and take quizzes once they’re done. Those quizzes earn tweens points that can be redeemed for prizes. Half Price Books has a “Feed Your Brain” summer reading program where kids up to age 14 can earn “Bookworm Bucks” by reading for at least 15 minutes each day in June and July. Finally, most public libraries also offer rewards and prizes for tweens that read throughout the summer.
3. Make it Social: Forty-six percent of parents of tweens said their child gets interested in reading a book because their friends are reading it. According to parents, the most popular genres among tweens are:
- Humor (e.g. Diary of a Wimpy Kid)
- Fantasy (e.g. Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson series)
- Action Adventure (e.g. Holes, Hatchet)
- Science Fiction (e.g. A Wrinkle in Time, 1984)
- Books Made Into Movies (e.g. Divergent series, The Giver)
Many libraries and recreation clubs offer age-specific books clubs. If your community doesn’t have this option, you can join with other parents to create your own book club and give kids a chance to make friends and socialize while discussing the latest novel.
4. Set a Good Example: If your children see you reading for pleasure, they may be more likely to do so themselves. Take it one step further and read a book along with your tweens. Many popular tween and young adult novels have universal themes that both parents and children can relate to. You can discuss the latest chapter over dinner or on the way to soccer practice!
5. Offer Incentives: So many of today’s popular tween books are also movies, and offering kids a trip to the movies after they’ve completed the book can be great motivation. Forty percent of parents said watching the movie after the book helps get their kids excited about reading.
How are you motivating your kids to read this summer? Tell us in the comments below!
[i]From April 22nd to April 30th, 2014 an online survey was conducted among 500 American parents with children in grades four through eight who are also Vision Critical American Community panel members.
The post Summer Reading List for Tweens appeared first on Sylvan Learning Blog.