Every kid looks forward to the freedom of summer vacation. It’s time for beach weather, pool parties, family trips and—perhaps best of all—no homework! But just because school’s out doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities for your child to learn, grow and expand their creative potential.
Helping your child publish a book is the perfect DIY project to try out together this summer. It’s simpler and more affordable than it sounds, and the results are priceless. The sun itself won’t shine brighter than your child’s smile when they hold their published book for the very first time. It’s a moment every child deserves to experience—and every parent deserves to witness. Why?
#1. A book project is a fun way to review classroom lessons and skills during the long break.
Though summer is the season of fun in the sun, there’s nothing more boring than a hot, summer day with nothing to do and nowhere to be. A creative project—like writing and illustrating a book—is a breath of fresh, cool air that can help chase away the summer doldrums and engage your child’s creativity and curiosity.
It’s also a great opportunity to review lessons and skills they learned throughout the previous school year. Ask your child to think about what they like learning about the most. Whether they’re drawn to the Pyramids of Giza, tornado chasing, outer space or something else entirely, the key to motivating them to write is to focus their energy on something they’ll truly enjoy writing about. Even if the topic they’re interested in has little or nothing to do with the topics they covered in class, publishing a book is still excellent writing and drawing practice.
#2. It’s an easy way to get creative (without getting messy).
Creativity plays a vital role in your child’s mental development. As one PBS article states, “The ability to be creative, to create something from personal feelings and experiences, can reflect and nurture children’s emotional health.” At the same time, parenting is hard work and tends to involve a lot of mopping, scrubbing and vacuuming. Unlike most big DIY projects, publishing a book together requires few materials to gather and very little cleanup time. Publishing kits come with practice pages as well as templates for final drafts—all you need to provide are some pens or markers for your child to write and draw with. Once their manuscript is finished, all you need to do is pack up their pages and ship them out to be printed, and before you know it, your child’s professionally published book will arrive in the mail. No muss, no fuss!
#3. It’s a chance to spend some unique quality time together.
During the school year, quality time with your child is limited. One of the beautiful things about summer is that you’ve got up to three months of potential family time to spend together. Working on a project together can be an important and rewarding experience for the whole family. Not only will you end up with a treasured keepsake of your time together, you’re also bound to learn new things about one another along the way.
#4. Publishing your child’s work is affirming and encouraging.
As a parent, you know how much you love and want to support your child, but it’s as important to show it as it is to feel it. Publishing your child’s work shows them you care—about them, of course, but also about what they think and what they have to say. It sends the message that you find their ideas valuable, and that you think others will, too. It encourages them to pursue creativity and expand their horizons. Most of all, seeing how much you believe in them will build their confidence and help them believe in themselves. You already know the incredible potential they possess—it’s about time they became aware of it, too!
Publish a Book (and Make Memories) That Will Last a Lifetime
Whether your kid’s the next Lemony Snicket or just having a bit of summer fun, a book publishing project is a fun and easy way to review classroom lessons and get creative without having to get out the vacuum cleaner. It’s something you can do together, and it’s the perfect way to show them how much you care—and how much they are capable of accomplishing when they put their mind to it.
The best part? All you need in order to publish your child’s book are a few writing tools and an Author Kit. Before you know it, you and your son or daughter will be reading a very special book together—one with your child’s name on the cover.
Ready to help your own son or daughter become a proud published author? Check out our Author Kit, perfect for your creative child to write their own book at home.
Image sources: Lead image via Shutterstock; Images 1, 2, 3, 4 via OpenClipart.org