summer fun ideas Archives - Sweet Frugal Life

The best kids summer reading programs.

Summer is just around the corner and I can’t wait for the lazy days of summer. I love the BBQs, the late nights, the snow cones (ohhhh the snow cones) and the lack of schedule. However, I do NOT like when the kids are bored (because….that usually leads to complaining…and I REALLY don’t like complaining!). One of the things that I have found to help curb the summer boredom (and complaining) is to sign my kids up for free summer reading programs.

These fun kids summer reading programs are the perfect way to keep kids busy, learning, entertained and to help prevent the summer slump. Most of these reading programs offers incentives and prizes which encourages my kids to keep reading throughout the summer months. They love accomplishing their goals and receiving a fun reward at the end!

I have been searching for a few free summer reading programs to sign my kids up for this year and wanted to share them with each of you!

2022 Free Summer Reading Programs

If you are looking for some good reading programs for your kids this summer, make sure to check out each of these!

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program

Another fun summer reading program for kids is from Barnes and Noble. All they have to do is print out this reading journal, read 8 books and fill out the journal during the summer, and then bring the completed journal into a Barnes and Noble store. Your child will then be able to choose a free book from the free book lists (which always has lots of fun book choices!). This is one of our favorite programs and have been participating in it for years!

Books-A-Million

Earn a free “Because of Winn-Dixie” notepad from Books-A-Million after completing their reading challenge. All you have to do is read 4 books from their Summer Reading Adventure picks in store or online. Track your reading progress in the provided reading guide book and then show your completed book to a Books-A-Million store associate to get your prize! Easy peasy!

Related: How To Listen To Audiobooks For Free

Camp Book-It

Sign your kids up for Camp Book-It through Pizza Hut. This is a fantastic summer reading program for your kids. All they have to do is set up a monthly reading goal and track their progress digitally. Once they reach their goal they will be sent a gift certificate for a free personal pan pizza!

Chuck-E-Cheese

Chuck-E-Cheese offers multiple reward charts for your kids to use to help them meet their goals. We like to print off this reading chart to encourage the kids to read during summer. All they have to do is read every day for two weeks and mark it on their chart. Once their chart is completed they can turn it in to Chuck-E-Cheese for 10 free play points! (Note: Food purchase is required to redeem play points).

Half Price Books

Half Price Books offers a fantastic summer reading program. Sign up here to receive a reward map for your child to use when reading. If they fill out the map they can redeem it for $5 Bookworms bucks to use at Half Price Books in June or July.

Public Library

Check your local library to see if they offer a free summer reading program for kids. My library has a great reading program each summer that my kids always look forward to! They always provide a lot of fun coupons, toys and other incentives.

Related: 10 Free Things At The Library

Scholastic

Kids can join the Scholastic reading program to earn digital rewards for their reading. One of the things I love about the Scholastic summer reading is that the more your kids read, the more books Scholastic will donate to kids in need. So cool, right!!! It makes reading fun for kids, and gives them the opportunity to help give to others.

Showcase Cinemas

If you live near a Showcase Cinemas you will want to look into their Bookworm Wednesdays reading program. Your child can receive free admission to a movie on Wednesdays when they bring in a book report written off of one of the books they recently read.

Another thing that makes this deal even sweeter is that accompanying parents/guardians, and siblings under 6 years of age will ALSO get free admission to a movie.

Sync

Teens can get two free audiobooks from Sync each week during the summer months. This program doesn’t have rewards or charts, but it is a fun way to help teenagers get free books and keep reading!

TD Bank

And last, but certainly not least is the kids summer reading program from TD Bank. They will deposit $10 into an existing bank account of a child who reads 10 or more books during the summer months!

In Conclusion

Encouraging your kids to participate in these free summer reading programs is one of the best ways to help keep their brains active and literary skills sharp during the summer months.

You can even turn your summer reading challenges into fun family time. Reading books together and meeting a goal is a great way to build memories as a family!

50 Fun Summer Activities For Kids

How To Save Money On Kids Clothes

At Home Preschool Activities

Don’t Forget To Pin This Article For Future Reference:

I hope you enjoy these free summer reading programs as much as we do!

Fun activities for bored kids to do during summer vacation.

I am so excited for summer to start. I honestly love having my kids home with me and have been busy coming up with some fun summer break ideas, including summer bucket list ideas and free summer printables (shared below!).

We have started a few summer break traditions that I look forward to each year. I have found that having some routine and structure at home during summer really helps to keep the kids from getting bored (and keeps me sane!).

Today I’m sharing all of the printables I use for these activities. I hope that it helps you and your kiddos have a wonderful summer. Just scroll to the bottom of this article to download them all.

Summer Screen Time Rules

First up let’s talk about summer screen time rules.

I really hope my kids aren’t the only kids out there who think they need hours of screen time a day (and tell me your secrets if your kids don’t think this!) BUT, I do not want them spending the warm beautiful months sitting in the house staring at a screen.

A few years ago I implemented a few rules for the kids to earn their screen time. It has worked SO well! Here’s how it works….

Every morning my kids have chores that need to be completed. Once those chores are done they can then begin working towards earning screen time.

Screen time is earned by doing one of the activities on our list for 30 minutes. For every 30 minutes completed, they will earn 15 minutes of screen time.

Do you want to know what’s been great about this??? Most of the time, when they start doing one of the activities on the list they forget they even wanted screen time in the first place! And watching the kids use their creativity and imaginations all day long is the best parts of summer.

*You can grab this free Summer Screen Time Printable here!

Related: 50 Fun Summer Activities For Kids

Weekly Park Ratings

One of our favorite summer traditions is visiting all of the different parks in our city.

A friend shared the idea of weekly park ratings with me a few years ago and we have absolutely loved it! It’s a fun way for your older kids to enjoy visiting parks and to get out and explore new places.

Here’s how it works:

Every week visit a new park in your area. Bring the Park Rating Sheet with you each time. Let your kids explore and critique the park. They get to be the one deciding if it’s a good park or not.

Kids think it’s so fun to be the one in charge of the park critique. I usually put our rating sheet on a clipboard with a pen attached….this makes them feel even more legit. 😉

*You can download your Free Park Rating Sheet here!

Related: Free Virtual Field Trips for Kids

Summer Bucket List Ideas

Now for one of my favorite summer traditions! I love making a big list of summer bucket list ideas each year. It makes for such a fun summer break!

A summer bucket list is always a must in our household! It helps me remember all of our summer break ideas and gives us something fun to look forward! Plus, it’s so fun to cross each item off the list as we finish another activity.

A few of the favorite summer bucket list items are:

*You can get your summer bucket list printable here!

Related: Free Printable Chore Chart

50 Books Reading Challenge

It’s important to me to help my kids avoid the “summer slump” with their education. One of the ways I encourage them to keep learning is by encouraging a lot of reading during the summer months.

One of the ways I encourage my kids to keep reading during the summer is by signing them up for our library summer reading program. It’s such a great program to encourage kids to read, and they love earning prizes throughout the summer.

Another thing we do is set a family goal to read 50 books during summer break. We use the chart below to help us track our progress. It’s a little hard to complete, but fun to try!

*Download your 50 books challenge here!

Related: 21 Free and Frugal Kids Educational Websites

100 Miles Challenge

In addition to our summer bucket list ideas, I also like to get our family outside and staying active during summer. We accomplish this by committing to a 100 miles challenge.

For every mile someone in your family bikes, walks or runs you can mark a square on the chart. Easy and fun, just the way I like it!! If my kids ever come to me during the summer and tell me that they are bored, I reply with, “Work on completing the miles challenge.” They are usually (not always) happy to comply!

After completing your 100 miles challenge celebrate in a fun way. Maybe go out to dinner or to a local water park. Whatever your family decides to do will be perfect. The most important part of the celebration will be spending time together.

*Grab your free 100 miles printable here!

Enjoy Your Summer!

I hope that one or two or all of these printables will help you have a wonderful summer with your kiddos! Remember, we only have 18 summers with our kids before they are gone. Let’s enjoy every single one of them!

Free Summer Reading Programs For Kids 2022