Reading is its own reward! (kind of)

Do you have children? 

Do they love reading or do they just tolerate it? 

Are you looking for ways to increase motivation and skill during their summer vacations? 

Do you want your kids to willingly pull books off the shelf and read? 

Well look no further. I have the answer. 

(Okay, well TECHNICALLY, Colton has the answer.)  

No. I did not PAY him to read. (Like I would ever bribe my kids like that…..)

You see, what had happened was….

About 15 minutes after we tucked the kids into bed last night, Brian and I could STILL hear giggling and funny noises coming from the boys' room. (not entirely out of character, because well, they ARE boys) except that the agreement was that we would leave their lamp on so they could read, but they had to be quiet. You know, so as not to confuse reading time with play time.)  Because that would, {ahem} never happen. 

So I went upstairs to *review* the agreement and be sure all parties were abiding by said agreement. As soon as I appeared in their doorway, Colton was excitedly pointing to the book in his lap, spouting off something about, "Look what I saw in my book! Look what what I found!" 

Now, I'm not going to lie. The fact that he was reading 'Dick and Jane' left me a little leery. I mean, I know it's a kids' book and all, but seriously. It feels a little naughty listening to your 6 read "Oh, oh, oh Dick. Dick went up, up, up. Come down, Dick." (Yes, Dick went up the tree to catch 'Puff' the cat and Jane wanted him to come down.) (Sorry, but why couldn't he have been named Nick? Or Rick?).

So naturally, my immediate thoughts were that he had realized some alternate meanings in the illustrations or words…Well he had not. Thank God.

He found something much better… A DOLLAR!! Hidden betwixt the pages of the Great Dick and Jane Treasury! The greatest reward ever given to a child! Well what do you suppose happened after that? He and his partner in crime, Ethan, began opening book after book, searching for more hidden treasures! 

Brilliant. 

That's all I have to say about that. Seriously. I'm half inclined to raid their piggy banks and hide dollar bills inside various books as a reward for reading! It's a win-win, the way I see it! 

They already love to read...

This makes choosing books more fun and interesting…

I don't have to spend my own money…

As they FIND dollars, they'll put them back into their banks…

And I, their deceptive mother will continually reuse those dollars….

It's magic. 

(Side note: I'm pretty sure we owe my sister, Mary $1.00. She loaned us this book which she bought from an online garage sale. It's probably her change. See me about that, Mary…)  

   

All this joking aside, I am eternally thankful that they enjoy books as much as they do. For the boys it was a matter of finding easier readers, particularly nonfiction, to peak their interest and make them realize they CAN read. For Hunter, it took nothing. Girl can read anything. And she wants to. 

Hooray for summer! I hope you, too, stumble upon creative, surprising ways to bribe inspire your children to read or do chores or something even better!