Dive Into a Good Book with These Summer Reading Programs

Our kids are growing up in a very different world than we did. Never has that been more apparent than this summer, when we’re not even sure if we should venture out for vacations, staycations, or even a trip to the community pool.

There is one thing that’s stayed the same, however; one thing that neither time nor technology, video game, nor virus can change…and that’s the joy of reading.

When I was a young girl growing up in the military, I had two kinds of summer vacations depending on where we were stationed. Either (literally) camped out on a beach searching for shells and riding the waves for days, or camped out in my room exploring the shores of Prince Edward Island with my bosom friend, Anne of Green Gables.

It was no contest: I was happiest in both places.

Books have a treasured way of engaging us in their world. And while teachers and librarians will encourage and applaud you for providing your kids year-round learning opportunities and saving them from the dreaded “summer slide” (you don’t have to Google far to find the many proven benefits of summer reading programs), I will add to that a long list of book friends and adventures lived, cultures engaged and global perspectives expanded, that have all shaped me into the person I am today.

Make it fun!

Put up a tent in your backyard, build a fort in your living room, throw some beanbag chairs in the playroom, and create fun, engaging spaces for your kids to get away from it all while adventuring the world and, yes, making new friends while reading.

Or use this Indoor Reading Bingo Card to inspire you!

Plus, a list of virtual summer reading programs provided by your local libraries:

Frisco Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge

Plano Public Library Virtual Summer Learning

McKinney Public Library Summer Reading Program

Register in Beanstack for the reading challenge and earn virtual badges along the way!

Allen Public Library

Earn badges all summer long!

And here is a list of summer reading reward programs offered online:

Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza

Pizza Hut BOOK-IT! Program

Half-Price Books Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program and Give-Away

Books-A-Million Summer Reading Adventure

Children’s Summer Reading Challenge for Picky Readers

I hope for every kid to have a similar experience with books that I did while I was growing up…and still do every day. But this will only happen when we commit as parents, caregivers, educators, and community partners to find new and fun ways to get books into their hands over the summer—and not just any book—the books they want to read. Let them explore with their summer reading!

And when your kiddos reach a new goal with their summer reading?

Celebrate!

Applaud them with a special treat—go out for ice cream, cook a favorite meal, host a picnic or movie night with friends. Make it fun AND rewarding, because when kids fall in love with books, they don’t just maintain their literacy skills, they try something new…and they enjoy doing it.

Alisa Hauser
Alisa’s 15 minutes of fame was as a news reporter just after college. These days, she embraces multiple roles – a mom of three (one teenager and two who are #adulting), a writing consultant, and a college application coach. When she’s not in a Zoom session, you can find her in her backyard with a chiminea fire. She loves indie movies, eclectic music, random road trips, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, her family bubble, and her cat Jack Jack (although not necessarily in that order). She grew up as a military brat, residing in four countries and eleven states before settling in the Dallas area. After 20 years here, and with the help of her Aggie daughter, she can seamlessly use “y’all” and “howdy” in a sentence like a true Texan.

1 COMMENT

  1. When I was 10 my family moved into a house where the previous tenant had left boxes and boxes of books in the attic. I spent countless hours in there, reading Pilgrim’s Progress, Things Fall Apart, Pride and Prejudice and many more. As a young girl in Africa, my eyes were opened to many different worlds. Especially now, while our movement is limited, what better way to travel to distant lands!

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