Summer is almost here and maintaining good reading habits in the summer months helps keep kids’ minds sharp.
Summer reading programs encourage children to explore new literary adventures while having fun and earning rewards. Not only do these programs provide incentives for children and teens to keep reading, but they also encourage parents and family members to get in on the action.
Below are a few programs that will keep kids reading all summer long:
Hillsborough County Public Library
This year’s summer reading program invites readers of all ages to log reading hours from June 1 through July 31. This year the library will also be hosting a “Share Your Story” summer photo challenge, along with a number of virtual events. Reading hours can be logged to unlock digital badges, story recommendations and the chance to win exciting tech prizes like Air Pods, Nintendo Switch Lite, Kindle Fire and more.
Camp Book It!
This program offered by Pizza Hut, allows parents to reward their kids all summer long. Track and reward your kids’ reading for June, July and August on a digital dashboard. When they meet their monthly reading goal, they’ll receive a certificate for a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut. This site also shares fun activities and book recommendations each week to keep the fun going throughout the summer.
Scholastic Summer Reading
The goal of this summer reading program is to help you get books in the hands of kids, support social-emotional well-being, build skills and create community among kids. Through Sept. 7, kids will be encouraged to read, celebrate their achievements and help increase access to books for their peers. Kids simply need to create an account on Scholastic’s Home Base, where they can keep track of their Reading Streak. The longer they keep their streak up, the more books Scholastic will donate to children in need. There are also weekly virtual author events, book-based games, interactions with favorite literary characters and more.
Hillsborough County Public Schools Summer Reading with myON
This reading program runs June 1 through July 31. Students in Pre-K to Grade 12 can participate in one, two or all three of these challenges by reading as much as they can on myON this summer. All reading will be automatically tracked within each student’s myON account. Students with more than 400 minutes of reading on myON each month will be entered into a drawing. Students with more than 800 minutes of reading on myON during the entire summer will be entered into a separate drawing.
Reading with the Rays
This is a great way to get your baseball-loving kids to keep reading. The rules of the game are simple. Kids simply pick their favorite books from home, the local library or anywhere they choose. Visit mlb.com/rays/community/reading to download a game card. As your child reads, they simply track their hours by rounding the bases on the card. When they get to each base, a parent or guardian initials the card to track the student’s progress. Kids can hit a reading home run by reading for 24 hours and earning Reading with the Rays prizes! Completed game cards can be emailed to reading@raysbaseball.com to receive Reading with the Rays rewards.
SYNC Summer Audiobooks
Looking to get your teen into reading this summer? Have them sign up for the SYNC summer audiobook program at www.audiobooksync.com. Each week through August 2 two free audiobooks will be available for download.
Barnes & Noble Summer Reading
This summer, kids in grades 1-6 earn a free book through the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program. Read any eight books between now and August 31, and record them in your Summer Reading Journal. When you’re done, take it to a Barnes & Noble store and choose your free book from a pre-selected list. Visit barnesandnoble.com/b/summer-reading/_/N-2m39 to download a summer reading journal and see the list of free books.
Happy Reading!
