Growing up, I always got excited when summer rolled around and I could head to my local library to sign up for a Summer Reading Challenge. I always loved a Summer Reading Challenge because, honestly, I’m a sucker for freebies. Our library always had great prizes, from coupons for free treats to tickets to see our city’s Major League Baseball team play.
But beyond that, the Summer Reading Challenge motivated me to keep reading the books I wanted to read, during a season where suddenly there was no routine or structure to my everyday life. Even as someone who loves books, I’ve always struggled with stepping away from the other distractions in life and taking the time to sit down and read.
Now that I’m a parent, those lazy summer days are gone, but I’m determined to keep summer reading a part of our family life. That’s why I’ve created a Summer Reading Challenge for the whole family, one that encourages parents and kids to mix up their usual reading routine and add a little playfulness and adventure to storytime. And to help you and your family keep reading fun and family-focused this summer, I’m sharing the FREE PRINTABLE with you!
Tips for the Summer Reading Challenge
- You can download the card in English or Spanish, whichever best suits your family’s needs.
- If you are a monolingual parent or not raising bilingual kids, feel free to mark any squares having to do with a second language as a freebie. Or challenge yourself! Keep an eye on the blog and social media for tips and tricks to feel more confident using a second language with your children.
- “Reading a book in a language you don’t speak” and “reading a wordless picture book” may sound a bit confusing. But remember – reading a picture book is more than reading the words on the page. We also read the pictures, and that’s what I encourage you to focus on here. Talk about the illustrations with your child, make up your own words to the story, and point out things you see on the page as you go.
Last updated August 13, 2024