Keep Your Kids Reading This Summer

Some parents find it challenging to get their children to sit down and read a book.

How about getting them to read books about science and math - in the summer time?

That's what an associate professor of reading education at the University of Maryland hopes to encourage with her list of suggested summer reads for toddlers, kids and teenagers.

Jennifer Turner said it can be difficult to peel kids away from the computer or television to read a book.

“It takes a lot of patience. It takes a lot of determination. Kids these days have a short attention span," Turner said.

In past summers, Turner's lists followed sports and environment themes, but this year's could be a tougher sell to the young crowd: science, technology and math, otherwise known as STEM books.

The book topics range from counting baby animals to learning fractions with chocolate bars; from archeological finds to the history of mathematics. Turner includes websites on the list to help grow children's computer skills for the technology portion of STEM. Websites include National Geographic Kids and Math Games on PBSkids.

Turner said she tried to choose books and websites exploring topics that spark children's curiosity and ones specific to age groups.

“I was hoping these topics would be that kind of motivation for them," she said.

As a mother of two children she knows a thing or two about having to motivate children to pick up a book, especially because her youngest doesn't like to read.

She often looks to her two sons, an 8- and a 10-year-old, to put together her lists. She'll read some of the books she is considering to her sons, or she'll check out some of the books her sons read in school. This year, she also relied on awards from professional organizations, like the National Science Teachers Association.

Turner said her youngest is reading a bit more this summer than in the past.

“It’s still not as good a video game ... or a sport ..." Turner said. "But [reading is] turning into something he’s more willing to do.”

Check out Turner's list of suggested reads and let Patch know what books and websites you'd add to the list. What are some of your kids' favorites?