5 Fun Summer Reading Programs for Kids

Are your kids itching for summer break? In between summer camps and vacations, don’t forget to encourage your little one to stretch their imagination and explore the world of books! Read on as online tutor Natalie S. shares her recommendations…

Instilling a love of books in your child can be a difficult task for parents. Life is full of daily distractions that often take us away from the simple act of reading. School, work, afterschool activities, and the carpool lane; it all gets in the way! On top of that, it’s especially difficult when children are constantly exposed to electronic devices that may derail them from participating in old-school activities like reading a book or writing a made-up story.

Summer is the perfect time to turn your child’s attention away from the screens and back onto the books! Check out these national programs to help get your kids inspired and hooked on books:

• Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge: This program is a prize-filled online experience! Kids sign up with Scholastic online and log the minutes they spend reading each day. The more they read, the more points they get. These points unlock digital rewards, weekly challenges, and the opportunity to enter sweepstakes so they can win real, tangible prizes. This program runs for the enter summer, so your child can continue to read all summer long.
• Book IT! by Pizza Hut: Running from June 1st until August 15th, parents can fill out an online form with the book titles your child has read. Your child is then entered into a raffle  for every five books they read, where they can win Pizza Hut gift cards and other cool prizes.
• Chuck E. Cheese Reading Rewards: What better way to tempt your child into reading than with the promise of a visit to Chuck E. Cheese? If your child reads every day for two weeks in a row, they receive 10 free tokens, redeemable for prizes. Better yet, this offer lasts until December 31st, so you can keep your child reading throughout the school year. Fill out this form to start tracking your child’s progress.
• Barnes & Noble Summer Reading: This program is geared toward children going into 1st-6th grade. When your child reads any eight books and fills out the Barnes & Noble summer reading journal, they qualify for a free book from a provided list. This program runs from May 20th until September 2nd.
• Sylvan Book Adventure: This summer reading program not only encourages reading, but it fosters reading comprehension abilities. Children in grades K-8 can read books from the Sylvan Book Adventure database, then they take a quiz about the books they read. The more points they earn, the more prizes they receive!

Not sure what to read? Here are some of my favorite summer reading suggestions for elementary, middle, and high school students:

Elementary
1. “The Boxcar Children” series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
2. “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White
3. “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
4. “Holes” by Louis Sachar
5. “The Magic Treehouse” series by Mary Pope Osborne

Middle School
1. “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner
2. “The Thief Lord” by Cornelia Funke