I grew up in a family where we went to Barnes and Noble on the weekend just to read. We'd all divide to our favorite sections and find our favorite books. We also spent a considerable amount of time at the library, but I was homeschooled so this was an obvious location. But reading was just something we all did. We went in the car, we each had our own book to bring. When my oldest brother went to college, he'd come home for a break and the first thing we'd talk about was the book I was reading. Not only did we read our own books, but my dad read aloud to us until I went to college. Even today, a typical greeting includes "what books have you read lately?

With my kids, I hope to pass on this same enthusiasm and love for reading to my kids. This summer, I decided to do something a little different for summer reading. We usually do the library's program, but I really want them to be more intentional and thoughtful about their reading. I put together a vintage library style bookmark where they can keep track of the books they read. I hope that if they use it as a bookmark, they will be more excited to see it fill up with books they read. 

I also added on the back open ended questions and what to do while they read. Questions such as:

I can't take credit for these questions. Most of these questions came from Read Aloud Revival and Simple Wonders. I just wanted to put them in one place for my kids to read, on the back of their reading chart bookmark. 

But the most important thing I wanted to put on the card, was what they should do while they read. I want them to learn how to pause and become more insightful of what they are reading. I added three things they can do while they read. I tried to keep it simple, but I think they're a good start for kids to start diving more intentional about their reading.

1. Highlight/tag (with booktabs) a quote or part you like. Why do they like it or don't like it?

2. Write down words they don't know

3. Think about any of the opened questions & ask questions (I wish I would have put this on the bookmark, I might have add this on there)

I wanted create a bit of a buzz around the bookmark, so to add a little more excitement I put together a little gift kit for them and wrapped it. Wrapping always makes things more fun. Here is what I included reading gift kit: