Summer Tip #1 from Ms. Kimpop

Hey everyone!

So school is officially out and I have been asked numerous times by parents on how they can help their children stay on track (academically) during the summer vacation. Honestly, I think it's important that children get to rest and have some fun... they have been working hard all year long but one thing that I highly recommend is to encourage kids to read~ especially encouraging leisure reading to keep their reading skills sharp.

So how do you do that?

Summer Tip #1
Encourage children to read!

1) Designate a time during the day to read with your child. You and your child can read your own books but sit together on the couch, the bed, or a bean bag on the floor and read together. After reading, have a quick discussion about what you read about.

2) Motivate your child to read. Maybe your child doesn't like to read and a little incentive is needed. Make reading fun. Set a goal with your child. Think of a realistic number of book that you expect your child to read by the end of summer or by the end of the week. Set a goal and once the goal is met, reward your child. Maybe every book read is a ice cream date with you? Think of something that will make reading fun for him/her!

3) Go visit a bookstore with your child. Bookstores can be fun especially one like barnes & nobles because they have a special children's section. Have your child pick out a couple of books to scan and check out. At the end of the bookstore visit, buy a couple of books that your child liked and bring them home to read!

Okay, I hope these reading tips help you encourage your child to read this summer. Let's get their noses buried in some good books.

For third graders (students entering 3rd grade this September) there are some series of books that I can recommend. Series of books are great because if your child likes one book out of the series, you can purchase MORE books from the same series.

Some series I'd like to recommend are...

Horrible Harry Series 

Really fun especially for children who like fantasy...

My personal favorite!!! 

The Magic Tree House series is really an excellent series with loads of real facts for students to learn.