Reading Can Help Combat Summer Boredom for Kids

Have your children started complaining of boredom yet this summer? Since school has been out now for several weeks, school-age children may be starting to say, “There is nothing to do.” And parents may be saying, “Then find something to do.”

The summer break from school began when our culture was primarily agrarian and children stopped classes for the summer months to help their families with harvests on the farm.

With the shift from rural to urban lifestyles, summertime can become a time with few, if any, activities to keep children busy. For many youths, hours are filled with television, electronic games and talking on cellphones.

But reading can provide a healthy outlet for children during the summer break. Benefits of reading go beyond alleviating boredom because reading keeps children learning and growing during the break from school.

Summer gives children the opportunity to read books that expand their imaginations and spark intellectual curiosity.

Here are some ways to keep youths reading even as the summer days become longer and warmer:

* Go to the library. It offers reading programs for children that provide incentives and rewards for reading.

* Keep your children interested. Choose books that pique their interest. Let them choose some selections on their own. Avoid making reading a chore. If they have access to an electronic device, encourage them to download books there.

* Read aloud to your young children. A good way to encourage youths to read is to read aloud to them on a daily basis. This technique allows you to become involved in their learning as well as improve their listening and vocabulary skills.

* Summer is a great time to introduce some of the classics of literature. Librarians often have a recommended reading list that features many fine works of literature that your children may enjoy.

* Talk about reading. Talk about characters in books and help them make connections with their own lives. Try reading some of the same books and talk about them as you might discuss a movie.

* Be a reader yourself. Parents can be role models for their children and personally demonstrate the pleasures of reading.

* Read together as a family. Set aside some time for everyone in your family to settle down comfortably with a good book.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright ©2012