Summer Reading Activities

As soon as school is out, I am on the lookout for great summer reading activities. It is so important for kids to keep reading over the summer, and fun activities can be just the encouragement they need.

Why is Summer Reading so important? Statistics show that reading just 30 minutes a day can greatly decrease the effects of summer slide. That means children who read will not lose those critical skills they worked so hard to achieve during the school year, and they can go back to class confident, and on level with where they left off.

Sometimes it helps to have a bit of motivation though. That sunshine and dirt entices kids away from the library, so we’re making it fun to read. It doesn’t have to take hours pouring over a book to get the benefits of reading. Even a little bit each day can help, and who knows? Maybe they’ll love it so much, they won’t want to stop.

I’ve compiled a set of fun, summer reading activities that can work for kids in a variety of ages. There is a mix of reading charts, incentives, and good old fashioned fun in these activities.

Which one is my kid’s favorite? I’ll tell you at the end, and… I’ve got a FREEBIE for you to try as well.

Summer Reading Activities

1. READING BINGO – Color each square as you complete a reading
activity. Go for 5 in a row to get Bingo. Bonus points if you get a
blackout. There are 3 unique bingo cards in this set.

2. ROLL AND READ – What fun way are you going to read today? Roll
a dice to find out. Color each box as you complete it. Keep rolling
until all of the activities are complete. We’ve included 3 of these unique pages as well.

3. LIBRARY SCAVENGER HUNT – Explore your library, and try reading
something new. Take a scavenger hunt card, and find books to match
each item on the list. Take them home and read them that week. We’ve included 10 different scavenger hunts for you to try. That should keep you going all summer long.

4. SUMMER READING CHARTS – It’s always fun to keep track of how many times you’ve read. In these summer reading charts, color a picture for each day you
read. Can you get every day in the month?

5. BOOK BUCKS – Sometimes it’s fun to have incentives. For this activity, you get a buck for each qualifying book you read. Save up and redeem your bucks for special prizes or a new book of your choice. We made these in color and black and white so you can do whatever works best for your printer.

6. ICE CREAM CONE READING CHART – My kids LOVE this one! Laminate the ice cream cone page and cut and laminate each individual ice cream scoop. Then for every qualifying book your child reads, they write the title on a scoop using a dry erase marker. Next, they stack it on their cone using velcro.

Once the child has reached their goal number of scoops, they get a special ice cream date with mom or dad. You can adjust the reward to be whatever you want, but it’s a fun way to spend time with your child and reward them for reaching their goals at the same time.

Can you guess what my kids’ favorite activity is? Ice cream of course, but there is a close second. Every time they have to, “Find a Bug, and Read to it,” they bust up into giggles. It’s silly, fun, and it’s reading.

FREE Summer Reading Activity

Thank you for checking out our Summer Reading Activities. Here’s your FREEBIE, and if you want the entire set, you can purchase it here.

Have a great summer!

Looking for more Fun Summer Learning?

Summer Preschool Worksheets

Summer Kindergarten Worksheets

Summer First Grade Worksheets