Educators consider summer reading to be an important part of maintaining literacy skills and promoting reading for pleasure. Children who read over the summer perform better in school and tend to produce better grades than children who choose to turn their back on books.

One of the main challenges of summer reading is to actually do the reading! As a parent you have to come up with cleaver ways to make reading seem more fun than bike riding, swimming, video games and television. Even if you get your child excited initially, you’ve got to keep that enthusiasm up and get them locked in to a reading schedule.

A great way to get your child excited about reading is to be a good role model. Research has shown that children whose parents read with them and are actively involved in their learning will become more successful in and out of school. So get yourself to the library, create a book club with your friends, subscribe to a good magazine and make sure that your child sees you reading.

The next step is to put together a summer reading list. If you aren’t sure how to come up with this list, you may be able to get one off your child’s school website, a local library or from the lists that I have provided at the bottom of this page.

Once your list is together, make some goals with your child regarding how many books they will read over the summer and how long it will take for them to read each one. Make the process fun by creating a large chart and place stars next to each chapter they finish. Also give them something to look forward to, perhaps by rewarding them with a special trip or reward each time they accomplish a goal or finish a book.

Apart from making a reading list and checking them out from the library, it is important to create a reading space for your child. This can easily be done in their room or the living room by putting a bean bag chair and lots of pillows in a corner. Make sure there is good lighting and the area is quiet and peaceful. You may also want a fan, as everyone is more likely to relax in a cooler environment.

So now that you’ve got a good idea of how to start, here are some reading lists sorted by grade for your child. Feel free to change it up a bit to fit your child’s interests, or jump ahead or behind a year to accommodate their reading level.

Summer Reading List