Summer Reading Ideas for Kids

Getting my son to read has been a struggle ever since he started school.  Now that it is summer, it is even harder for him to want to read.  We recently found a book series that my little readers love, and I thought I’d come up with some summer reading ideas for kids to keep them reading all summer long.

This post contains affiliate links which mean I make a little something if you purchase through the link with no extra cost to you.

I actually found my first book in this series at Michael’s.  We were headed on a vacation to Walt Disney World and I thought my son would enjoy learning about Walt Disney before the trip.  He never did read it until we got home from the trip, but when he did, he was not only able to read it on his own, but he enjoyed reading it!

One day I was walking through the school library and I saw that they carried this series of books and I grabbed from son from his classroom to show him where they were so he could pick one of them the next time he was in the library.  And he did!  It picked the book on the Gold Rush. Since summer was approaching, I decided to invest in some of these so both he and my daughter could read them.  I bought about 10 books in the Who Was? series, choosing topics and people I thought they would find interesting.

These books are perfect for my advanced reading 1st grader, she takes a bit more time, and my 3rd grader.  They are really easy chapter books that I think have a lot of good information about each person they are about.  It will take my daughter 1 week to finish a book, and my son can finish it in a couple days.

My kids aren’t the type that always have a book in their hands.  I had to come up with another way to keep them interested in reading during the summer.  Getting them to read a book a week was a goal I thought we could achieve.  But I wanted to add to that plan, and found a way they could work on their writing skills at the same time.

I created a single page “book report” print out that the kids have filled out after they finish a book.  Once they are finished with a book, they fill out the information on the book report and then present the report to our family.

The kids have really enjoyed these books and I look forward to learning what they have learned from their reading.  I’m hoping since they not only read about these famous people, they have to write a little about them, they will remember the information.

Summer Reading Ideas for Kids

I know this summer reading idea might not work for everyone.  My kids just happen to be at the perfect age and we really love these books.  I rounded up a few more ideas of how to get kids reading through the summer and even some great book suggestions for kids too.

Encourage Summer Reading from Perfectly Imperfect Mama

50 Read Aloud Chapter Books for Kids from My Mommy Style

DIY Summer Reading Kits from The Quiet Grove

Favorite Summer Books for Boys from Crazy Little Projects

Summer Books for kids Aged 8-14 from Rachel Teodoro

Family Summer Book Club from Perfectly Imperfect Mama

How to Make Summer Reading Fun from Home Crafts by Ali

If you are looking for printables to encourage and keep track of your children’s reading, here are some really awesome free printable reading charts.  You are sure to find something that will work for you and your family.

Free Printable Reward Reading Chart from Printable Crush

100 Book Reading Challenge Bookmarks from Artsy-Fartsy Mama

Summer Reading Chart Printable from Home Crafts by Ali

Summer Reading Bucket List from My Mommy Style

Family Reading Printables from The Quiet Grove

Summer Reading Bingo from Artsy-Fartsy Mama

I love how this summer reading idea is working for our family.  I hope you are able to find something here that will work for you.  I’m sharing the free printable Who Was? book report with you so your family can give it a try.

Click the link below to be taken to the download page.  Right click on the image and save it to your computer before printing.  These printables are for personal use ONLY.

Who Was/Is Book Report

Happy Reading!

Liz