Activities to Encourage Summer Reading for Your Students

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Did you know that whether or not a child reads during the summer is a predictor of summer learning loss or summer gain? Summer reading is important, but not always fun, for a child who struggles with reading. Summer loss can equal about a month of academic learning. As a teacher, you want your students to practice their skills over the summer and learn about new topics. It’s important to make summer reading entertaining so that they want to read. The more they like to read, the more they will read. Here are a few ideas of ways to increase reading this summer.

Reading Bingo

Provide the student a summer reading bingo board. When the student reads a book, they put a checkmark in a box. They win “bingo” by covering five squares in a row (horizonal, vertical, or diagonal). When school starts in the fall, the student can bring in their bingo board. You can give a reward or some type of recognition to those who complete their boards. As an alternative, parents could do this activity with their children over the summer.

Project Understood provides an example: Summer Reading Bingo Board.

Book Hall of Fame

Have each student read books over the summer. When they come back to school in the fall, have them write (or draw) a reflection on the best book they read over the summer. Post them on a bulletin board at the beginning of the year so that other students can look and see what books they might like to read. Discuss that there is a Football Hall of Fame, Baseball Hall of Fame, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, National Toy Hall of Fame, etc. They are creating a Book Hall of Fame.

Genre Reading Log

Have your students read different genres of books this summer? Discuss that there are all types of books and they are going to read many different types this summer. Have them bring the reading log to school in the fall and display as summer readers on a bulletin board. Give a certificate or other type of reward for completion. You can vary this based on your students. Below is an example of a Reading Log.

Other free printable reading logs can be found at All My Pretty Books

Order from AIM-VA

You may also have some students who need accessible instructional materials this summer. To see what books AIM-VA already has in accessible formats, go to www.aimva.org and click on Getting Started. Go down to Search for a Book. If the book is not currently found in the AIM-VA library, it can be produced quickly if requested by an AIM-VA Digital Rights Manager.