Summer reading is a great way to keep children’s minds active during the summer, but what if they don’t like to read? Roald Dahl is a world-renowned children’s author of BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and more! His writing is extremely popular among beginning readers, and can turn even the most reluctant readers into book lovers. Dahl uses funny language and makes up words to coax a smile or a laugh out of his readers. The worlds he creates in his books are imaginative and incredible and bring a touch of magic into the lives of his readers.

Summer Reading Recommendations

Many research studies have shown that children who do not read over the summer face steep declines in cognitive and critical thinking abilities. According to a study by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, research shows that skipping summer reading can impact a child’s education for years. “What we know is that children who do not read in the summer lose two to three months of reading development, while kids who do read tend to gain a month of reading proficiency,” Allington said. “This creates a three- to four-month gap every year. Every two or three years the kids who don’t read in the summer fall a year behind the kids who do.”

Before jumping into BFG or another of Dahl’s classics, there are a few things you can do to support your reluctant reader.

Children are recommended to read 20–30 minutes a night

• Grades 1–2 are recommended to read 20 minutes
• Grades 3–6 are recommended to read 30 minutes
• Set up a routine: read around the same time every day, whether it’s before bed, after breakfast, or whenever suits their schedule.
• Find a comfortable spot to read that doesn’t have any distractions.
• Be flexible: If your children need extra support, sit with them and have them read aloud to you. If they’re having a hard day and seem especially reluctant, you can start reading aloud for the first few pages to get them engaged in the story. Use funny voices to narrate and to make it a fun experience.
• Always create a positive reading experience by using encouragement, incentives, and rewards.

Reading Rewards 

One of the coolest incentives for summer reading with Dahl is a themed family movie night party! Though children are often reluctant to read, using imaginative stories like Dahl’s can help jumpstart their reading interest. Tell your children that once they finish the book, they will get to celebrate by watching a movie based on the book they just read! The book-movie night will be paired with book-themed treats and activities to bring the reading to life! Below are three ideas for book-movie parties for three of Dahl’s greatest books!

BFG

The story of Sophie and BFG is one of Dahl’s most popular books; the Big Friendly Giant is one of Dahl’s beloved characters, and the book is full of funny words, foods, and drinks that you can incorporate into your movie party!

• “Frobscottles”: Make root beer or sprite floats with colorful spoons/straws and call them “Frobscottles” (a made-up fizzy drink in the book). You can also serve snozzcumbers, which are slimy cucumbers (with ranch or hummus).
  
• Dream word jar: Just like the BFG goes dream catching, you can create your very own dream word jar, where each family member can write a positive dream word and place it in the jar! Read one word (like delightful, garden, sunshine, chocolate, etc.) each time the BFG catches a dream.
• Dahl vocabulary: Have your readers pick out three of their favorite Dahl words from the book (like swagswalloped or goosegruggled), and whichever family member uses them the most throughout the night gets a prize!

• BFG art activity: Have your children design their own castle or cottage, like Buckingham Palace or the BFG’s castle. You can also create BFG ears out of construction paper and headbands you have around the house.   
• Free BFG book report: You can also do a fun book report about BFG by making a book yourself! You can get instructions and a free download of this Read-a-Book Make-a-Book project here. Making their own book is a fun project for kids, especially when it’s based on a book they read and loved! If you don’t want to watch the movie, you can just include all of these fun activities and treats to celebrate your reader!
  

James and the Giant Peach

Another of Dahl’s classics-turned-movie, James and the Giant Peach, tells the story of an orphan, James, who lives with his cruel aunts. James escapes their home in the giant peach that grows in the backyard, and befriends several large insects who live inside.

Create a peach-themed book party for this fruit-filled fantasy journey!

• Peach desert: Make peach pie, roasted peaches with ice cream, peach cobbler, and other peach-themed treats.
• Character costumes: Use clothing and costume pieces you have at home to make costumes for your favorite character; for example, make ladybug costumes by taping black construction paper circles onto red shirts.
   
• Insect treats: Create insect-themed deserts, using gummy worms as inchworms and sour gummy worms for glowworms. Chocolate-dipped strawberries can be ladybugs. Skewer green grapes for a centipede as a healthier snack.
• Decorate the room: Cut out orange construction paper circles for giant peaches and decorate the room with them. You can add balloons or drawings of birds to go along with the storyline. If you’re not watching the movie, but want more projects, try a short writing or drawing activity. Ask your children what kind of fruit they would want a giant version of and where they would travel in it. Who would go with them inside the fruit? Have them write or illustrate their ideas and hang it up during your party.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

You will have no shortage of sweet treat or fun costume ideas for this book-movie project! Dress in all blue to be Violet, find a fantastic coat and hat to be Mr. Wonka, or dress up as Charlie himself! Make invitations for the book-movie party with yellow/gold construction paper Golden Tickets! Deliver these to your family members in creative ways, like inside a snack bag or inside the book itself!

• Golden Ticket entry: Have each member present his or her ticket before being let inside the “Chocolate Factory” (a.k.a. the movie viewing room).
• Movie treats: Chocolate in any form is a great addition, but the book features all kinds of colorful candy you can recreate. Fizzing lifting drinks can be soda or cream soda; “Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight” can be melted chocolate mixed with marshmallows, re-chilled, and cut into squares. Re-creating the “Chocolate River” may not be possible, but anything with melted chocolate would work, such as chocolate milk, hot chocolate, and chocolate fondue. You can actually buy everlasting gobstoppers, which will last the entire movie! Include your children in the party planning and have them create mini signs for each treat using the colorful vocabulary from the book.
• Character dress-up: Assign each family member a character to dress up as and put together creative costumes! It could be as simple as pajamas for the grandparents, a creative candy hat (glue candy to a favorite ballcap), or recreating the Oopa Loompa magic with make-up.
• Decoration: Create paper candy images to hang from light fixtures or the ceiling. Some easy-to-make ideas include: peppermint hanging circles, candy canes, or round lollipops with popsicle sticks.

The movie made of this book is a colorful addition that brings all the wildest ideas to life, but this story can be made magical without the movie, too! In addition to all the incredible treats you can make, children can stretch their own imaginations to create their own candy ideas. What crazy flavors can they come up with, and what effects will they have? If their ideas seem attainable (apart from the magical effects), try to recreate it in the kitchen. This is a fun baking experiment and will get your child excited about the book.

Summer Learning Activities

Studies have demonstrated the importance of summer learning to keep skills fresh. Daily Summer Activities is a great option to keep children learning throughout the summer without overwhelming them.

• 15 minutes: This colorful activity book provides summer review for reading, math, language, and social studies in 15 minutes or less!
• Great for active kids: It is the perfect option for active children who can’t focus for long periods of time.
• Reading log: The workbooks provide a reading log so your children can effectively record their weekly reading!
   

This is another great way to keep track of their summer reading and to reward them for their progress. Check out Daily Summer Activities for grades PreK–8.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.