The school year has drawn to a close, ushering in the eagerly anticipated summer holidays.
For children, it's a time of adventure at camp, playing with friends, and fun with family.
Yet, for parents, it presents a challenge: how do we keep our kids engaged in learning, ensuring they retain the valuable skills they've acquired during the school year?
As a parent of a kindergartner myself, I know first hand the juggling act of encouraging reading at home amidst the whirlwind of daily responsibilities.
How can we simplify our efforts while making it enjoyable for our children?
Here's where the Summer Reading Club comes into play!
The Summer Reading Club (SRC) makes things fun.
Children get a cute reading record to track their daily reading.
When they read for 15 minutes a day or more they colour their reading record and earn a sticker when they finish each week.
Anything counts as reading – listening to audiobooks, bedtime stories, or enjoying comic books.
We want to make reading fun, so the best book is one your child wants to read.
If you’d rather sign up online you can use the Beanstack app to track reading, too.
After a week of reading, kids can enter in to win all kinds of prizes, like baskets full of cool family activities, a Nintendo Switch, Chapters Gift cards, and more.
And, after seven weeks of reading, they get a medal for all of their hard work.
Reading books with your child is important, but so is demonstrating your love of reading.
Join the adult Summer Reading Club alongside your child.
Take time to sit and read together, showing them your love of books (or audiobooks, or newspapers, or whatever you like). Your enthusiasm will inspire them.
And, as an added bonus, you could win some pretty cool prizes, too.
We also have Teen SRC, with so many chances to win prizes. Plus there are awesome events during the summer, like our inaugural "Silent Disco" and a fun collage wall art craft program.
Joining the Summer Reading Club is easy. Visit any FVRL location or sign up online through the Beanstack app.
Throughout the summer, the library hosts numerous contests where kids can engage in fun activities and enter to win additional prizes.
Plus, we offer a variety of performers and programs guaranteed to keep children entertained. Explore our website or pick up an event schedule at the library for details.
We look forward to seeing you at the library this summer, where reading opens doors to imagination, discovery, and shared enjoyment.
For more information on these and other programs, check out the "events" section on our website at www.fvrl.bc.ca or contact the library.
– Sarah Jost is a librarian at the Maple Ridge Public Library