Ahh, summer! Those days and weeks when we break out of our routines that structure (dominate?) our lives for the rest of the year. For families, summer is often the time when we explore new places, revisit old places, learn something new, or do our favorite tried-and-true thing.

When our kids were young, my husband often had an evening read-aloud. We went through the Narnia Chronicles, as a lot of families do, and then he branched out and read some long, Bible-based fiction that he’d bought at a library sale once and had always wanted to read. Those sometimes elicited some groans, but we all showed up to hear the latest chapters.

A friend of mine reminded me of all this recently when she asked me, a children’s librarian, for some good titles to recommend to a dad and daughter duo who wanted to spend some time reading aloud together this summer. What a great idea! The rest of the year can be so packed with piano lessons, soccer, homework, clarinet practice, drama club, etc. Summer is the perfect time to introduce—or revisit this fun, bonding activity.

Besides being a cozy thing to do, reading together helps instill in kids the idea that reading and learning don’t stop just because school is out. An extra bonus—you’ll both discover that you can get along very well without your phones or favorite devices for a little while!

What to read first? If your child or grandchild is eager to show off some budding reading skills, you might want to choose something from the series, You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You. There are fairy tales, scary stories, Mother Goose rhymes, etc., to choose from. You and your child will take turns reading in short, fun snippets. A trip to the library with your child can also show you some early chapter books that are popular with the learning-to-read crowd.

Like revisiting a beloved place, you also might want to introduce some of your old favorites—great stories that your child will probably enjoy, but might be too difficult for her to read independently; My favorites as a child were the Borrowers, Heidi, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The library might still have some of your old favorites on the shelves if you don’t still own them.

Have fun and enjoy the conversations that are bound to come up as you discover new favorites and share old standbys!