One of my best childhood memories is participating in the Summer Reading Program at our local library. I loved bringing home a stack of new books to read and record every week, but it never felt like enough! I would fly right through my entire book stack in one afternoon and be dying to get back for more. If I had my way I would have visited all the city libraries in our area and participated in every program available. I had no idea there were more reading programs than just the ones the library offered us, though! After looking more into reading programs for my kids this year, I found there are many more options that go beyond our local library! Have you heard of any of these programs before? I know several of them were new to me!
However, I always keep in mind that kids may require playtime and other activities to actually focus on reading. Or perhaps they need a vacation to move away from their monotonous daily routine. Maybe, they can make do with Luxuria Vacations Jumby Bay Island, where they can witness the beauty of nature and feel more refreshed. Or if not a vacation, then parents can at least divide their day according to multiple activities they might enjoy. This will prevent them from feeling bored by participating in a single activity (in this case, reading). You can incorporate outdoor games, swimming (perhaps like Riverside pools or elsewhere), video gaming, painting or coloring, and definitely reading. The reading program can be a great way to provide kids exposure to different types of books.
I’d like to note that none of these reading programs are meant to take the place of your local library program (because I think it’s important for kids to learn to access books via their local libraries). These programs are simply meant to provide more opportunities to read and enjoy summer vacation together. So choose one (or more!) programs to supplement your local library one and enjoy reading with your kids this summer vacation! Also, to enjoy a peaceful reading time this summer, make sure you have your air conditioning maintenance done so that your little munchkin would not be bothered by the summer heat.
Pizza Hut BOOK IT Program
This program actually runs all year long. You’ll want to make sure your kids are registered early because they do close enrollment when it’s full. Another benefit of this program is the great resources that go along with it! Find supplemental activities, worksheets, and even a few recipes to correspond with their book picks!
Chuck E. Cheese Reading Rewards Calendar
This program is self-paced, just download the calendar and have kids record the books they read for two weeks, then return the paper to Chuck E. Cheese for ten free tokens to play 🙂
Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Triathlon
This program is specifically for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. If your child is the right age, it’s a fantastic program to participate in! Take a look at how they compare reading to sports training in their reading journal. All kids have to do is read their books, fill out their journal, and be rewarded with free books from Barnes & Noble!
Pottery Barn Weekly Story Time
This program is a little different in that you and your munchkins must attend the weekly story times in the store in order to participate. It’s a great way to get out of the house for a bit (and who doesn’t love a little window shopping at PB!?!) After going to five story time events, kids are rewarded with a special gift.
Book Adventure by Sylvan
This program is all complete virtually through the Book Adventure website. Kids can read their chosen books at home, then return to the site to take online quizzes. They’ll then be rewarded for their successful reading adventures! (for kindergarten through 8th-grade students.)
Family Dinner Book Club
This is a really fun year-long program hosted by a few talented bloggers (Growing Book by Book, Sunny Day Family, and Daisy at Home). Each month there’s a focus book along with a craft, meal idea, and service project to go along with it! It’s a great way to connect with literature as a family.
The Rosenberry Room Bookworm Challenge
This program is new to us this year and we’re excited to participate! Rosenberry Rooms (A children’s furniture retailer), supplies your child with a reading checklist to fill out. Once they have read the alloted number of books, you can submit a picture of your child with his/her checklist for a chance to win a $25 gift card! Sounds good to me!
I didn’t know about the Pottery Barn story time. Thanks for sharing!
I used to feel like I was cheating in our library reading program because I was going to be reading anyway, lol! Last year we did Barnes and Nobles’ program – loved the free book at the end!