Looking for a few proven and effective ways to encourage your students to read over the summer break? Just in time for summer, these 7 strategies will not only transform your students into super summer readers, they’ll help instill a lifelong love of books, too!

1. Encourage you students to dedicate a special time of day just for summer reading. Whether it’s first thing in the morning or the last thing they do before bed, reading should be part of their everyday routine.

2. Remind young readers that reading doesn’t just have to be done independently—it can be a fun group activity, too. Encourage students to do paired reading during sleepovers or have reading playdates where they share their favorite books with friends. Remember, when it comes to reading, there’s strength in numbers.

3. Help students find a reading role model. This could be a parent, older sibling, or friend, but reading role models are great for providing the much-needed support to help students overcome common reading barriers that occur during summer break.

4. Encourage students to keep a journal during the summer and reflect upon the books they’re reading. The books featured in The 7 Strengths Libraries are perfect reads to inspire writing about belonging, friendship, kindness, curiosity, confidence, courage, and hope!

5. Your students may have a favorite series of books or genre, but it’s important that they expand their literary horizons and read a wide variety of books, too. From graphic novels to non-fiction, Scholastic is a great place to find books that will broaden your students’ perspectives.

6. Help students expand their own home libraries. Whether it’s through Scholastic Book Clubs, trading books with friends, or organizing summer field trips to the public library with classmates, having access to books is especially important during the summer.

7. Remind young readers that reading should be fun! Featuring a diverse selection of books across interest and reading level, these Summer Book Take-Home Packs from Scholastic are an affordable way to help students find enjoyable books that will inspire them to become super summer readers!

When your students become super summer readers, they’ll experience a sense of joy and belonging around reading that will last a lifetime. If you’re looking for other books to inspire students to read this summer, check out these book lists featuring Scholastic’s most popular summer reads.