Are your kids picking up a book this summer? A new survey finds that children spend nearly three times as many hours weekly watching TV or playing video games as they do reading in the summer, despite research that indicates the importance of summer reading to retain literacy skills. Visiting your local library and enrolling children in the summer reading programs is a great way to encourage children to read. Click here for a list of libraries in the Chicagoland area.
To help keep children reading, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy’s are launching a new Be Book Smart campaign to support children’s literacy.
“Reading is the best vacation. It takes you places you never dreamed you would visit, and summer especially is a time when kids can immerse themselves in the topics they like best,” said Carol H. Rasco, CEO of Reading Is Fundamental. “Thanks to our partnership with Macy’s, we are bringing more books to children who need them most and starting them on a journey to a lifelong love of reading.”
To celebrate the launch of the campaign, select Macy’s across the country will host Reading Circles, featuring storytelling and photos with popular book characters. Customers can also help spread the word about the campaign by entering the Be Book Smart Summer Instagram photo contest. One winner will be selected each week of the campaign to receive a $500 Macy’s gift card. Visit rif.org /macys for more details.
