Simple Summer Reading Activities for Kids
Are you looking for quick and easy reading activities for your children this summer?
It is essential to reinforce reading skills with our students over their summer breaks to ensure they don’t lose any progress made in the academic year.
Easy, Low Maintenance Activities for Summer Reading
Make reading fun this summer by trying these foundational literacy games and activities with your kids!
1. Enroll in a Summer Reading Program
The public library is one of my favorite places to go. The summer reading program is a simple yet engaging way to get your kiddos reading this summer.
Sign up at your local library and you are sure to win all sorts of fun prizes for completing the reading challenges!
Enrolling in the program also helps with your library’s funding, so don’t miss out on this wonderful and free opportunity for your children!
Take it a step further and sign your child up for their very own library card. They can learn the value of going to a library, finding a good book, checking out that book and taking care of it, then returning it for another friend.
This is a great way to teach responsibility for the care of our books.
2. Drive the Sounds
It is essential to keep reading over the summer months but it is especially crucial for our early readers.
Try “driving” the sounds on a sunny day to make reading fun! Write a 3-4 sound word on the sidewalk or driveway with chalk (examples: cat, dog, milk, plan, pump, Sam, etc….you want to choose words that are easily decodable).
Draw a “road” underneath of the word. Then guide your child to use a toy car to drive on the road.
As the car passes each letter, the child will say the sound allowed, moving to the next sound as you pass it. This helps the child to segment and blend the sounds together.
3. Playdoh Letters and Words
Multi-sensory activities are linked to better letter sound recognition. This is a great summer preschool activity.
It’s also fun for our young ones to keep their hands moving and engaged. By using our hands while learning to read, our brains are developing the pathways it needs to start reading.
Give your child a target sound (for example, /h/). Say the sound then have your child create that sound with their playdoh. You can also do this with blends, digraphs and words!
4. Sandbox Sounds
Another great multi-sensory activity is sand writing!
Do you have a sandbox in your yard? If not, try making a sand table or even a small portable sand container.
Just like the playdoh activity, give your child a target sound or word. Have them write the sounds in the sand with a stick or their fingers! It doesn’t feel like work when there is sand involved :).
5. Weekly Library Visit
I am such a huge advocate for the public library! It is one of the only places we can go in our community that does not expect you to spend money, yet offers SO many fun and engaging educational activities for ALL ages.
My public library offers all clubs, story times, sensory rooms, presentations, yoga classes, play groups, etc.
During the summer months, my local library also has special summer guests such as comedians, magicians, actors, authors, etc.
Go to your local library’s website and check out their weekly calendars. You’ll be impressed with the number of events available for you and your family–and at no cost to you! You really cannot beat it.
6. Squirt the Word
All you need for this activity is a water gun (or hose) and some plastic cups.
Write target words or sounds on the cubs. These can be decodable words, vocabulary words, or sight words!
Stack the cups then say a word! Have your child squirt the correct word with their water gun or hose.
7. Summer Word Ladder
Research shows that phoneme manipulation and substitution strengthens phonemic awareness and executive functioning.
My early readers love completing word ladders as they are a fun way for students to engage in phonemic awareness.
Print off my free resource for your enjoyment!
8. Reading Fort
Is it a really hot day or maybe a rainy day? Try creating a reading fort. This is an easy summer activity for preschool through elementary school.
Encourage your children to get creative and make a cozy space for their reading. Include string lights, pictures, flashlights, cushions, etc.
This can be a space to read or listen to audiobooks. Check out my post on my top social emotional learning books for preschoolers.
9. Sound Scavenger Hunt
Go on a sound scavenger hunt through your neighborhood, the park or house.
You can try using the same scavenger hunt in different locations throughout the summer. What did you find that was different? What did you find that was the same?
10. Summer Reading Bingo
Bingo is a fun and interactive way to check off reading challenges throughout the summer.
Decide on an appropriate prize for completing Bingo and have fun completing the reading challenges!
I have created and attached 3 Bingo cards for your enjoyment.
Summer Reading Final Words
Reading can feel like such a task at times when we force it on our kids. Summer reading is crucial for success so why not make it fun and engaging? These options are great summer activities for preschool through elementary school. Get creative with your reading activities and show your children that reading can be fun!
