Kids love running around in the sun all summer long, but they have to rest at some point! When they do, have some summer reading fun ready with these book log printable games. They’re the perfect way to keep those reading skills sharp and avoid the summer reading slump! (Read more about the importance of reading 20 minutes a day here.)
We know that there are great benefits to reading 20 minutes a day. This is especially true during the summer when they aren’t getting those reading minutes at school. That leaves the question: “How can I make my child WANT to read during the summer?” We’ve got you covered!
5 Easy Steps to Make Summer Reading Fun
- Set a Goal (& Mini-Goals Along the Way)
- Choose Rewards
- Provide a Variety of Books
- Make it a Game – path, coloring sheets, sticker chart, scratch-off dots
- Celebrate!
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Set a Goal (& Mini-Goals Along the Way)
The first step is setting a summer reading goal. This will look different depending on the child’s age. For younger children, you’ll probably make a goal based on the number of books. For older children, you’ll want the goal to be based on the number of minutes or pages. This is because as they get into chapter books, it takes a lot longer to get through the entire book.
Remember, kids tend to get distracted and unmotivated if it takes too long to reach their goal. This is why you should also set mini-goal along the way. This way they will feel some small successes along the way!
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Choose Rewards
The next, very important, step is choosing rewards. This should be done WITH your child. Doing it together will create more ownership for them and they’ll be invested in accomplishing their goal. You’ll want to choose one big reward for when they accomplish their overall goal and smaller rewards for each of their mini-goals.
Rewards will vary child to child. It can be helpful to reflect on your child’s love languages to guide you. Some kids will prefer a physical gift of some sort, while others will prefer an event or activity that you do together.
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Provide a Variety of Books
Look at this as an opportunity to to introduce various book genres to your child. Make sure they have both fiction and nonfiction books available. You could include realistic fiction and fantasy stories, biographies, poetry and informational books.
While it’s important to make these books available, you don’t want to force them on the child. Instead, create a summer reading bookshelf that they can pick from each week. You can also visit the local public library each week to choose new books.
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Make it a Game
This is KEY for making reading fun for kids. You can just use any random book log printable or ask the child to write titles down all summer long. Instead, you need to make sure you use a fun and engaging book log printable game!
Book Log Printable Game Examples:
- Coloring Sheets: Have the child color in one item for every “__ minutes” or “___ books” that s/he reads. Then, when the sheet is fully colored, they get a mini-reward. The overall reading goal could be to complete a certain number of coloring pages by the end of the summer.
- Coloring Paths: Have the child color in one shape for every “__ minutes” or “___ books” that s/he reads. Have mini-reward celebrations as they reach the mini-goals along the way. Save the big celebrations for when they reach the end of the path!
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Celebrate!
Last, but not least, it’s time to celebrate! When we say celebrate, we most likely all picture something different. Some people hear the word celebrate and think about a huge, loud party. Others, like me, picture a quiet evening on the back porch with a warm cup of coffee. Yet another might envision themselves out for a nice dinner & dessert.
It’s the same for kids! They all have their own idea of what it would mean to celebrate their hard work. Work together to discuss and choose the best celebration for THEM!
Hopefully this article left you with a great game plan to get even the most reluctant readers pumped up for summer reading! If you’d like these reading log printable games, get them (along with all of our other lessons and activities) for one low monthly price with our Grace Over Grades Membership. Or you can find them in our Teachers Pay Teachers Store here.
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