Read through the new year: 8 holiday activities to keep kids reading

If you’re a parent or teacher, you’ve probably heard the term ‘summer slide’ thrown around at least once – after all, it’s been in our vocabularies since as early as 1906, according to a study in the Review of Educational Research. The summer slide refers to the time between school years when, with no challenging homework to complete every day, kids’ priorities change from reading and learning to simple, unadulterated summer fun. Although this doesn’t have to be a bad thing, it often means that when they return to school, their reading abilities or drive to pick up a book have taken a nosedive.

However, all is not lost! There are a ton of easy and enjoyable ways to keep kids engaged with books even over the busy summer period. Combine summer fun with these little literacy boosters to ensure your child stays ahead of the curve going into 2021 – without compromising the joy of the school holidays.

Create a reading challenge

One way to get kids excited about picking up books over the school holidays is by making it a competition! After all, no one can back down from a good challenge, right? Play a game with your kids where they’re required to fulfil specific prompts by reading a book that suits. For example, perhaps one of the prompts is ‘read a book with a green cover’ or ‘read a book with more than 100 pages’. Raid the bookshelf, head to the library and sift through that donation pile to find books that fit with the prompts. Voila – reading made exciting!

Read anything and everything

The pressure to choose books targeted to your child’s reading level can be overwhelming – often, kids find reading difficult because it feels like a chore or requires the utmost concentration. Change attitudes towards reading over the summer by letting them roam free with their reading. Cookbooks, craft books, the newspaper – nothing is off limits!

Short books are always great at grabbing their attention, too. We love Jacqueline Harvey’s book written for Australia Reads, Kensy and Max: Spy Games. Coming in at just under 100 pages, this action-packed little book is a great way to keep ‘em keen without all of the pressure.

Start a book club

For most kids, summer is the time for hanging out with friends! Why not involve their mates and start up a book club? You might need to incentivise a little – buying some yummy snacks is always a must, no matter the age of your book club attendees – but when they’re in, you’re one step closer to fostering a love of the written word. Fun, universal books such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid are always a great book club pick, and will ensure that every child involved has fun and can join in the discussion, no matter their reading level. If your brood is a little more high-brow, select something with themes you can discuss, such as The Fire Star or The Power of Positive Pranking.

Play creative word games

When the kids get bored around the house, games are always a go-to, whether they be card, board or outdoor activities. Instead of teaching them to play poker, (because we’re sure that was your first instinct) why not create some games around the books they’re reading, or perhaps their all-time favourites? There are so many options, but here are a few of the best:

• Mad libs: Take a page or two from one of the books they’re reading, and turn it into a mad lib by removing some of the nouns, adjectives and verbs. Leave them to fill in those new blanks and create an alternate version of the book that’s sure to elicit some laughs!
• Word searches: Pick some key words from a book and enter them into an online generator to create a word search. Super simple and lots of relaxed fun for their downtime.
• Book charades: Get the whole family involved and play a game of charades that’s strictly limited to books! Kids must act out the title of a book they can think of by miming each word. This is a great way to remind them of old books they may want to revisit, and to gather new suggestions from other family members or friends.

Write your own stories

Another skill that can take a dip over the summer holidays is writing. No longer required to do homework, write essays or answer quizzes, kids can practically forget how to pick up a pencil! Keep their written skills sharp by instigating a story challenge, wherein they elaborate on the plot of a favourite or current book. For instance, your child could imagine Derek Dool’s next hilarious adventure, or devise a new mystery to be solved by Alice-Miranda. All they’ll need is a pen and some paper (or a computer for the digital-savvy) as well as a whole lot of imagination!

Make things visual

We’ve all heard about the various ways kids learn – some are verbal, others are visual, some are aural and so on. For children that aren’t predisposed to verbal or written learning, the idea of picking up a book might seem intimidating and overwhelming, especially when school’s out for the summer and all that’s on their minds is play. A great way to grab their attention – and hopefully hold it for years to come – is by encouraging them to watch book trailers or read-aloud videos, depending on their age.

Another way to appeal to visual learners is through graphic novels. Fast-paced and full of gorgeous illustrations with short, sharp text (often dialogue), graphic novels are low-stakes, fun ways to get kids into reading.

Act it out

All the world’s a stage, and your children merely players . . . Ramp up the drama in your household or neighbourhood by staging a live re-enactment of their favourite book! Not only will it teach them new ways to engage with the text, but it’s also a fun opportunity for them to try new things and, above all, have fun! Any book can be adapted into a play, but in particular, we’d recommend something with a few characters and lots of dialogue – options could include the Besties books, Atticus Van Tasticus and the Toffle Towers series.

Sit back and listen

Finally, if active reading still feels like a little too much, why not pop on an audiobook? Perfect for lazy days at home, long car trips and wind-downs before bedtime, audiobooks keep kids reading without the pressure of having to decipher new words or exercise their comprehension in the moment. Plus, they’ve actually been found to improve your child’s vocabulary and recognition of words, making them an ideal holiday boredom buster – functional and fun! Check out some of our favourite audiobooks for kids here.