BOOKS

We all know that the required summer reading your school gives you at the end of the year can sometimes be boring and hard to get through. More often than not, after getting through the first chapter of that dreaded book, we put it down and move on to something more fun and entertaining. But the important thing to remember is that our school gave us these books to read for a reason. Although some of them may be boring at times, it’s super important that we read them and understand them so that we can be prepared for the upcoming school year. We know this can be hard sometimes, so we thought of some tips to help you get through it! 

1. Find a place where you feel calm: It’s important to find a space where you are able to focus and you feel calm. If you’re in an environment that you enjoy, you are more likely to have a positive attitude going into it. Some places that might help you focus are your favorite park, a coffee shop or sitting on the beach! 

2. Read out loud: Although this might seem silly at first, it's something that can really help you to understand what you’re reading, stay focused and process the material. This tip will help you stay focused because you are forced to process the words as you are reading instead of thinking about other things while reading aimlessly. You might feel funny doing this, but it will be so helpful once you get used to it. 

3. Make a schedule: if you limit yourself to an amount of reading that is attainable per day, you will be more likely to get it all done. Choosing to read maybe 1 or 2 chapters a day will make the reading seem easier and it will go by faster, because you don’t have to spend a super long chunk of your day doing boring reading. You’ll have more time for fun summer activities like swimming and hanging out with your friends, while already completing your work for the day! 

4. Give yourself a reward: rewarding yourself after a milestone will keep you motivated to finish the book. For example, tell yourself that once you get through reading half of the book you’ll go for ice cream, or when you finish the whole book you’ll go on a shopping spree—anything that will keep you motivated to finish the required reading! 

Doing summer reading can be hard when all you want to do is enjoy the sunshine and warm weather with your friends and family. Although the required reading that your school assigned you might not be your top priority for the summer, it’s super important that you complete it and understand the material. Hopefully these tips will help you out, and make you more motivated to get your work done! Happy reading!

What's your favorite book you've had to read for school?

by Molly Beidleman | 6/10/2018