One easy trick to transform summer for kids and grandkids.

Photo by Billie Judy

Summer vacation as a brain drain

Before 1900, there was no such thing as summer vacation. Generally, kids went to school year round, with farm kids getting spring and fall off to work the fields. And long before air conditioning, city schools, surrounded by pavement and interrupted air flow, became too hot to handle. 

Today, summer vacation is a billion dollar industry. Think about it! Toys, games, vacations, child-care. But the costs are higher than just dollars. The old notion that kids needed time off to rest up, doesn't really hold. Many kids, especially kids from families with less cash, experience an actual brain drain over the summer holiday, returning in the fall even further behind. 

Build a child's mind with video games

NOT!. There's no evidence that video games do more than entertain kids. Which isn't a bad thing. It's maybe a little silly to expect a game to dramatically improve a child's mind. Does basketball? Hopscotch? Mumbly peg?

What children do remember—see if this is true for you—is the time parents spent with them. Maybe it was a trip, maybe just a hobby. Time they got your full, positive attention. 

What's interesting is that the memorable thing doesn't have to be a big thing. It can be a small shared moment. Like sitting down to read a book together.

Children's ability to learn from hearing outpaces their reading capacity up until about grade 8. But here's the thing: you can't just hand a child a book and walk away. For the most part, if you don't read, they won't. One in four adults doesn't read a book a year.

So reading is an easy, inexpensive way to share and enjoy one-on-one time with a child you may have difficulty connecting with otherwise.

26 advantages to reading

Hit this link for a fascinating look at the difference books can make in your kids.

What to read? My middle-grade Alaska adventure, "Cheechako," is recommended adventure reading on the www.boysread.org (girls, too). The second book in that series is an unforgettable summer tale of Alaska adventure, and even a tiny bit of romance. 

If you, or your child, haven't read Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet," you're in for a treat. It's the first (and best) of three. Richard Peck and Ursula LeGuin are always good. The series of seven 'Narnia' books by C.S.Lewis, satisfies your need to keep going. 

And then, of course, there's Harry Potter. Amazing, fantastic books for adults and children. 

And remember, all these books can be had used. I get most of my copies from Goodwill or St. Vinnie's for dimes on the dollar.

Start planning, and collecting, now!

You can read the first thirty pages of any of these books FREE on Amazon. Here's my link and others are easy to find, too. 

Books by Jonathan Thomas Stratman

Reading to kids can change lives—yours and theirs. And I'd love to hear how it goes.