When it comes to summer, reading may not be the first thing—or even in the top 10 things—children have in mind. But reading can be the ideal summer activity. It’s fun, portable, can involve the whole family, and can help children academically.
These resources can help you put good books into kids’ hands and connect them to vibrant summer learning adventures.
All about summer reading
- The ABCs of How to Make Summer Reading Effective
- 6 Ways to Use Reading to Prevent the Summer Slide
- The Importance of Summer Reading, a research brief on summer reading and public library summer reading programs
- 10 Critical Facts about Summer Reading
- Summer Reading: English Language Learners at the Library
- Summer Reading and the Rich/Poor Achievement Gap
Summer reading resources and activity ideas (that won’t have you spending half your summer at the craft store)
- Head to Start with a Book for ideas for fun and meaningful interactions around books and things of kid interest
- Sign up for Camp Wonderoplis, the online summer-learning destination that’s full of fun, interactive STEM and literacy-building topics
- Ignite a Summer of Reading with the BOOK IT! Program
- Find fun-in-the-sun activities, tips, and resources to keep kids reading and learning throughout the summer at Reading Is Fundamental
- Plan a Do-It-Yourself Summer Reading Camp with help from Education.com and PBS KIDS
- Celebrate a Summer of Seuss with activities, crafts, and recipes from Seussville
Ways to challenge kids to read this summer
- Visit your local library to find out about summer reading programs in your community
- Families can join the Reading Without Walls Challenge from Gene Luen Yang, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
- Kids can take the Be a Reading Superhero challenge
- When kids compete in the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Triathlon, they earn a free book after reading 8 books
- Get $10 added to a Young Saver account when kids read 10 books with the TD Bank Summer Reading Program
Summer reading recommendations for kids
- Summer booklists from Reading Rockets for ages 0-12
- Reading Is Fundamental book recommendations for PreK-5
- We Need Diverse Books Summer Reading Series
- The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance recommends Great Reads
- We’re The People features titles by Native Americans or writers/illustrators of color
- Summer Reading booklists for birth to grade 8 from the Association for Library Service to Children
- The Best Children’s Books of Summer 2016 from Brightly
- 25 Mighty Girl Books About Outdoor Discovery
- Nature/Exploring/Getting Dirty books from Guys Read
- Multicultural, Social Justice Booklists from Teaching for Change Books
Great web resources to help raise readers
- AdLit.org supports the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers with multimedia information and resources
- Colorín Colorado provides resources for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs) in grades PreK-12
- NAEYC for Families helps parents understand how children ages 0-8 learn and offers creative learning ideas to try at home
- National Summer Learning Association focuses on closing the achievement gap through high-quality summer learning for all children and youth
- Reading Rockets offers strategies, lessons, activities, and ideas designed to help young children learn to read
- ReadWriteThink provides access to the highest quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction
- ReadKiddoRead is the biggest get-your-kids-reading movement on the web
- Understood helps the millions of parents whose children, ages 3–20, are struggling with learning and attention issues
Reading tips
- Summer Reading Tips to Go from Start with a Book
- Summer Reading Tips from PBS Parents
- How to Introduce Toddlers and Babies to Books from Zero to Three
- Parents of Young Children: Put Down Your Smartphones from the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Help a Child Choose a Book from ReadWriteThink
- How to Help a Teen Choose a Book from ReadWriteThink
- Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books from Teaching for Change Books
- 5 Tips for Reading Chapter Books Aloud to Your Children from Reading Rainbow
- Ten Tips for Reading Aloud to a Blind Child from the National Braille Press
- Reading to a Child from Nemours Health and Prevention Services
- Reading to Young School-Age Children from NEA
- Reading Aloud with Children Twelve & Older from the Bank Street College of Education Children’s Book Committee
- Where to Find Free Books from NEA
