How to Cultivate a Love of Reading with Your Daughter This Summer

We have only a few short weeks left this spring and then summer will be here before we know it! As you begin to think about your summer plans, we hope you will consider setting aside time to continue to cultivate your daughter’s academic, artistic, and athletic talents in between family vacations and much-needed rest and relaxation.

As a part of her summer, we hope that you will set aside time each week (or each day!) and encourage your daughter to pick up a book and read. We know and understand that practicing on the field or in the music studio builds our skills and abilities in arts and athletics. Reading is no different. Hundreds of studies have shown that children who read the most will be the most successful. The more our girls read, the better their comprehension, literacy, and fluency become. And they are more likely to build empathy and their understanding of the world and themselves.

Foster a love of reading in your children by first demonstrating your commitment to reading. Read aloud to them at bedtime, lie in a hammock next to them reading your favorite new book while they read theirs, take them to your local library or bookstore for the afternoon. Encourage them to first read the book of a movie they are wanting to see, and then watch the movie together and discuss the merits of each. I continually have a stack of books at my bedside, both fiction and nonfiction, and love nothing more than curling up with a good book in the evening. It’s made even better when my children are curled up next to me. Reading nourishes my mind, my heart, and my soul.

At GPS, we strive to build a love of reading—and a love of learning—in each of our girls. We read in almost every class throughout the year, from novels to news articles and blog posts. We encourage time in the library, before and after school or during study hall, and have book clubs for all ages. 

As you begin to look forward to the lazy days of summer, we hope you will make sure to carve out time for reading, both for your daughter and for yourself. This one commitment can open their minds in new ways and make a lifetime of difference in their engagement with the world around them, and with you.