Are you eager to get your kids reading during the summer, but bored of plain old reading logs? Summer reading is so important, but many kids need extra motivation to read over their break (and reading logs sometimes just don’t do it). Whether you are a teacher, parent, or tutor, the activities below will make summer reading fun and engaging for your kiddos!
Why Summer Reading Is Important
Each school year, most children make huge improvements in their reading. And then summer arrives. If kids go all summer without touching a book, they can lose much of the progress they made the previous school year. In order to maintain their skills, children need to keep reading all summer long. They can read chapter books, picture books, magazines, comic books, non-fiction books, or really any type of text. Kids just need to read! By using these fun activities, you can make sure your children or students keep reading during their break and continue progressing into the next school year.
3 Engaging Summer Reading Activities
1. The ABC Challenge
In the ABC Challenge, kids try to read one book for every letter of the alphabet (based on the book’s title). This activity works for all reading levels and keeps children motivated to complete the challenge. If your kids aren’t up to reading 26 books, see if they can complete one page, or a certain number of letters. Choose whatever works for your learners! For extra incentive, offer a prize for finishing all 26 letters (or whatever goal you set).
Get the Summer Reading ABC Challenge here!2. Genre Puzzle 
Kids complete the genre puzzle by reading books in different genres, and then cutting and pasting the corresponding pieces onto their puzzle sheet. Not only does this encourage kids to read books from a variety of genres, but it also gives them a fun activity to do after finishing each book. The genre puzzle works best with older readers, but can be done for any level, with some adult assistance. Also, there are two levels included (9 pieces and 4 pieces), so you can choose the best option for your reader.
3. Summer Reading Bingo
Do your kids love a good game? Well, they might love doing summer reading bingo! Just print out the board, and your child gets to fill in a box every time he or she completes one of the tasks. Summer reading bingo can be even more motivating if you offer special rewards for getting BINGO. If your child needs an extra challenge, see if he or she can cover the entire board.
Get the Summer Reading BINGO board here!
Although some kids may not be enthusiastic about reading over the summer, I hope these fun activities make it more exciting for them. Did you use some of the activities in this post? Let me know how it went by leaving a comment below or sending me an email!
