LearningTip #52: Series Spark Sustained Free-Time Reading

By Joyce Melton Pagés, Ed.D.
Mother of two children, President of KidBibs

The only thing that's better than finding a great book to read is finding a great series to read! Finding books that can compete for the attention of children in a world of sitcoms, skateboards, sports, videos, and videogames can be challenging. But finding the book or series that lights the "fire" of the young reader has tremendous benefits:

• This is a great way to continue last school year's growth while preparing him/her for the next school year.
• Research shows that the amount of reading students do out of school is consistently related to gains in reading achievement.
• Independent reading is a major source of vocabulary, reading fluency, and comprehension development.
• Finding a favorite series can lead to a lifetime of reading!

Children are drawn into series through favorite characters, genres, interests, and TV programs. Young children enjoy reading the series involving Arthur, the Berenstain Bears, Franklin, Clifford, Little Bear, Frog and Toad, and the Magic School Bus.

Children moving into chapter books often enjoy Nate the Great, the Magic Tree House, Captain Underpants, Junie B. Jones, Horrible Harry, Pony Pals, Pee Wee Scouts, and American Girl books. Many older children enjoy Hank the Cow Dog, Cam Jansen, Babysitter's Club, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Animorphs, Harry Potter, Wishbone, Dear America, the Winning Edge, and I Was a Sixth Grade Alien. Even children who enjoy nonfiction books can read series now.

Strategies for motivating children to read series include:

1. Share your favorite childhood series with your child. Show him/her what you loved about the series. Children might enjoy reading Little House, The Chronicles of Narnia, Hardy Boys, Pippi Longstocking, Little Women, Marguerite Henry's horse books, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, Encyclopedia Brown, The Boxcar Children, or some other series that you enjoyed as a child.

2. Read to your child. This invites children into the series, enriches your relationship, and gives you an opportunity to discover new and interesting things about your child.

3. Establish a summer routine for visiting the library. Locate the series in the library. See if there's a librarian who also enjoys that series and have him/her share what s/he likes about it.

4. Search the internet for the existence of web page by the author of the series. [Kid-safe search engines and directories are located on the KidBibs Homework Help page.] Authors' web pages often include information about the author, information about where the author gets his/her ideas, activities related to his/her books or story characters, etc.

5. Purchase or make puppets/dolls of story/series characters. Children often enjoy playing out the plots of books and even create their own new stories with character dolls! This keeps them involved with the story and stimulates imaginative play which enriches the stories written by the child!

6. Have your child draw a picture/poster for each book s/he reads in the series and hang it in his/her room. This is a wonderful way for him/her to respond creatively to the book and it provides a physical record of the books that s/he has read (that can motivate him/her to read more)!

From classic to contemporary, historical to humorous, fantasy to factual, or scary to sports-related children's series can spark summer reading for even the most reluctant young reader! But, if, for some reason, that doesn't work, find other great strategies for motivating children to read here!

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