School’s out for summer. And you are looking for ways to keep your children and teens occupied and, hopefully, engaged in some activities that will enhance their literacy skills. Rather than re-create the wheel, we found this great compendium of 125 activities pulled together by Parade magazine. My guess is that you’ll find a few gems in here that your kiddos might gravitate toward. Of course, I particularly like those that foster reading and writing, like starting an independent novel project, playing read-at-home bingo, writing a travel journal about a previous vacation, or writing a good old-fashioned letter. There are also many ideas to enrich your child’s experiences. These experiences help build vocabulary. We know that if you have knowledge about a topic, the better equipped you are to make connections with the text and learn from it. Similarly, you are also able to write more about it. So, watching the Beluga whales or visiting a museum or National Park can contribute to your child’s knowledge base. Hands-on experiences require reading directions—think science project, art project, or recipe. And, it’s summer—so having fun should be high on the priority list.

With less than 90 days of summer, this list will give you more than an idea a day! Many are ‘not for kids only,’ so you can enjoy, too!

Joanne Marttila Pierson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

In addition to providing the leadership to DyslexiaHelp, Dr. Pierson is a founding partner in the Literacy, Language, and Learning Institute (3LI) www.3-li.org.