summer reading book kits

Whether you homeschool or not, summer always looks a little different than the regular school year. In fact, even those of us who homeschool year round, tend to relax a little in the summer time. These slightly less structured days tend to lead to lots of cleaning and rearranging for the new year. Closets are reorganized and shelves restocked. Miscellaneous supplies are strung about in piles with great wonder. Whatever will I do with this? Oh, I forgot about this book!

This year, I came up with a fun idea for those thousands of random sequins, goggly eyes and lost or forgotten items. Summer Reading Book Kits. Whether on a summer break or just looking for a little something different during the homeschool day, Book Kits promise hours of meaningful fun.

The idea is simple: pick a book and use what you have around the house to create a bag of fun. I thought it would be a great way to use craft items, reinforce ideas, and encourage reading. I mean, who doesn’t need a little reading encouragement for the summer?

I made the kits and set them aside. Much to my surprise, the kids went NUTS. They absolutely could not wait to get into their bags! While, I knew it would be fun, I had no idea that the kids would BEG me to open them for three solid days until I would finally give in.

Shh…don’t tell them that all I did was walk around the house and collect items that they ALREADY had and put them in a fun little ziploc with a book!

Now I know that you are excited about making a few kits of your own. Here are a few ideas to get you started…

Under the Sea Book Kit {designed for a 4 year old boy}

Includes…

Little Bear Book Kit {designed for a 7 year old girl}

 Includes…

Ponies and Horses Book Kit {designed for an 8 year old girl}

Includes…

A few tips for making your Summer Reading Book Kits

• Select books that are BELOW your child’s reading level. This is crucial for building fluency and will make the kit much more fun.
• I would encourage you to make the kits fairly independent. Allow your child to create and use his/her imagination to use the items in the bag. There doesn’t always have to be a right way to use something.
• Read the book that you selected and try to pull ideas from the text. You can use events, characters, or themes to inspire you.
• Be selective about worksheets. Make them fun and few. Dot-to-Dots and word searches are usually a great choice.
• Think outside the box…anything goes. Bubbles, stickers, pipe cleaners, ribbons, puzzles, special markers, watercolors,chalk, stencils, cookie cutters, etc.

It’s your turn! Grab a book, a ziploc and some art supplies and make your own little kit. Keep it simple. I promise they will love it!

Kim Sorgius

Kim is just a girl, crazy in love with Jesus. She's a single mother of 4, a passionate homeschooler and life-long student. After teaching 8 years in public school, she traded her M.A. in Early Childhood for sippy cups and homeschool co-ops. Kim is the owner and editor of The Homeschool Village and Not Consumed where she encourages others to rest victoriously in the hands of God, rather than allowing life's difficult circumstances to consume.

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Last updated by Kim Sorgius at June 30, 2012.

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