Tips for encouraging your children to read more this summer + Puffin book giveaway

*This is a collaborative post

As a rule, I generally try and ban electronic devices from holidays and days out. H, H and J know that they can play on their tablets and computers as much as they like when they are at home but when we're out and about, their devices usually stay at home and they can entertain themselves in other ways. Harry (10) and Heidi (8) are old enough now to read longer books and they can happily sit in the back of the cars for hours reading. We always buy/borrow new books over summer whether this be with a trip to the library, charity shop or WH Smith at the airport. I really believe that summer is a fantastic opportunity for kids to lose themselves in a story and I'm delighted to be teaming up with Puffin and their 'Start A Story' campaign this summer. 

Visit the Puffin website here and sign up to the campaign. You'll receive top recommendations for the best books to buy for your kids this summer

Harry, Heidi and Jack read for every evening in bed for 30 minutes before they go to sleep during term time. I must admit I am more relaxed about this in the holidays but that doesn't mean the kids don't enjoy lots of reading time. Books will always come on holiday with us and during our trip to Wales last month, Heidi and Harry both read 3 big books from cover to cover and Jack read the same book over and over every night (he's a creature of habit). Puffin sent the children some new books to take camping with them this week (you can win these books in our giveaway if you scroll to the bottom of this post) and I was amazed that Harry read Diary of a Wimpy Kid from cover to cover in one night.

Top Tips for encouraging your children to read this summer 

• Leave a selection of books in the back seat pockets of the car so they are always there for long journeys
• Take books and torches with you during camping trips and encourage reading by torchlight - it's super exciting! 
• Take books on holiday with you to read on the plane, by the pool and at the beach
• Continue bedtime reading times on holiday
• If you're going camping, read books by the campfire and take it in turns to read a page. A non-fiction book or ghost story is good for this
• Arrange a book swap party with your children's friends half way through the holidays
• Spend and afternoon crafting bookmarks based on your children's favourite book characters
• If you're not sure what books to buy, use websites such as Puffin Start A Story or ask what your children have enjoyed reading at school and buy a book by the same author
• Create a summer reading corner in their bedroom with cushions, a stocked bookcase or book box and a water bottle - somewhere they can head to relax or if they need some time away from the X Box. Check out these reading nooks if you need any inspiration. 

Books for children aged 0-5

We love the classic 'Where's Spot' which we have passed to my 2 year old nephew to enjoy. This is a story I remember as a child myself and a real favourite with my own children when they were younger. If you don't have it in your collection, I can highly recommend buying the board book and it will be a story that is shared time and time again. 

Our second recommended book for this age group is 'The Giant Jumparee' which is by one of our all time favourite authors Julia Donaldson. Although this is aimed at children aged 0-5, we are all Julia Donaldson fans and had not read this story so decided to take it camping with us anyway as a good bedtime story. The plot is simple with rhyming words and I imagine it will definitely keep the attention of very small children as they follow the tale. What I like about this book is that Jack (aged 6) could easily read it himself but we could also enjoy it as a family when I read it to us all (complete with silly voices) in the evening before bed.

Books for children aged 5-9

Heidi (8) is only just starting to read bigger books - we used to laugh as she used to 'pretend' to read them but now I can see she is definitely reading and taking everything in. She loves reading in the car during road trips and decided to start reading 'The Racehorse Who Won't Gallop' during our camping trip. This is quite a big book so feels quite grown up but Heidi has been enjoying it so far. 

Another book recommended for this age group is 'George's Marvellous Medicine' by Roald Dahl. Harry picked this up to read in the car on the way home as he had finished the book he'd brought and this was going spare. Harry is probably the only child I know who says they don't like Roald Dahl books but this book kept him quiet for a whole hour as we packed up the car after our camping trip and travelled home so I think that the time is perhaps turning! 

Books for children aged 9+

Harry is the biggest reader in our house - even more so than Steve and I. Once he starts reading a book he can't put it down. The first book he picked up was 'The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary | The Next Chapter'. This non-fiction book provides lots of inside information to the making of the movie which we watched at Jam Jar Cinema earlier this summer. Harry really lost himself in this book and I would recommend to anyone who has watched the movie. It followed us everywhere during our trip.....

The second book recommended for this age group is 'Wave Me Goodbye' by Jacqueline Wilson. This book tells the tale of a 10-year-old girl who is sent away on a train with her schoolmates during WWII. This is a big book and could probably last a full week's holiday if read regularly. Harry is going to try this book once he's finished George's Marvellous Medicine. I'll Tweet how he finds it. 

For more reading recommendations this summer, don't forget to check out the Puffin 'Start A Story' website here

I honestly can't imagine going on holiday or taking a day trip without a book in tow - both for myself and the children. Summer is a time where life slows down for us a little and it's lovely to have a full six weeks to lose yourself in multiple books. We have a few other trips planned this summer and once we've finished these books we'll definitely head to the Puffin website and select a few other books from their range. Puffin books are so well known and you know you're buying a quality book if you spot a little Puffin on the cover.

Puffin Books Giveaway 

Puffin Books have provided us with a bundle of books to giveaway to one lucky reader this summer. The winner will receive all of the Puffin books mentioned in this post. Here is the full list worth £50+:

• Where's Spot
• The Giant Jumparee
• The Racehorse Who Won't Gallop
• George's Marvellous Medicine
• The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary | The Next Chapter
• Wave Me Goodbye

Please enter via Rafflecopter below (ends midnight 20th August 2017). Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Share: