Summer is a fantastic time to start a new series, because it keeps your child hooked on books and learning throughout the season.
You may have heard of the summer slide, the loss of academic skills and knowledge when school's out. Reading a great series is an easy way for kids to practice skills they've learned so far — helping to prevent that slide. What’s more, absorbing a slew of books about topics they're interested in helps them to further develop reading fluency, comprehension skills, vocabulary, and knowledge on a wide variety of subjects.
One of the best ways to get kids to dive into a summer series is to join the Scholastic Summer Reading-a-Palooza, a summer reading program designed to develop lifelong readers by encouraging reading for fun during the summer. This year, kids can experience the challenge through Scholastic Home Base, a free digital destination which offers stories, characters, and games, in a safe community for readers!
Through Home Base, kids can make new friends, earn virtual rewards, and help unlock book donations for kids with limited or no access to books by starting and keeping “reading streaks” when they read every day over the summer. Learn more about the challenge here!
Here are three easy ways to find the right series for your child:
1. Start with reading out loud. Not sure if your child will like a particular new series? Test the waters by reading the first book together as a read-aloud. If they enjoy the story, they’ll jump at the chance to share the reading responsibility with you (or take over completely!). This can be a simple but effective way to gauge your child’s interest and get them hooked on a series.
2. Pick a novel with a movie tie-in. Many popular movies began as book series — just think Harry Potter, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Goosebumps, or Dear Dumb Diary. If your child hasn’t discovered books like these yet, invite them to read the first book in a popular series, and promise to watch the movie together once they're done.
3. Check out popular series that are trending with other kids right now, from Dog Man to Fly Guy. When your child's friends are talking about a certain book series, your child will be extra motivated fly through it and join in on the conversations.
Shop series popular with kids below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store.
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