Summer reading incentives

[Sherry in OH]

I was very unhappy with my local public library’s summer reading program last year.  Discussions with librarians indicate that this year’s program will be worse.  I have been talking with my children about doing mom’s summer reading program instead of the library’s program. 

 

How do these incentive look?

 

Read and discuss 5 books from list 1 – a comic book of child’s choice from the local comic book store

When both boys have read 5 books from list 1 – family outing to play miniature golf

 

Read and discuss 5 more books from list 1 – book or ebook from Amazon

If both boys have read 10 books from list 1 by August 4^th – family outing to an amusement park or water park

 

For each additional 5 books (list 1 or 2) - $5 toward Amazon book, ebook, or Kindle app

 

List 1 contains 17 titles neither child has read.  List 2 contains approximately 50 additional titles they have not read. 

[Tanaqui]

I think making the incentive "more books" is reasonably healthy, if you're going that route. However, I'm not sure most kids could read 10 books in 6 - 9 weeks, unless the books are very easy for them. You know how fast your kids read, of course, but I'd try to keep that in mind.

[Arcadia]

Does your kids like miniature golf? My boys enjoyed that until around 8 years old then switch to golf on my city's golf course. My boys love the amusement park which has the go kart track.

 

I think your incentives are better than what my city library offered. It was a free book and then it became a $5 Barnes and Noble gift voucher. My kids prefer the B&N voucher.

[Farrar]

We get free Nats tickets and a burrito.

 

I like going by time reading instead of books, just because then if one child is a fast reader and one is slower, they're not penalized. They can read at their own pace.

 

There's a small, independent library near us that does a sort of complicated summer reading program. Someone told me about it once. IIRC, the kids get to move along a board toward the final goal for all the reading they do. However, they get bonus points for choosing challenges, like "read a mystery novel" or "read a Newbery winner" or things like that. And they could also draw mystery challenges where they didn't know what the challenge would be when they drew the card for even more bonus moves.

 

Studies show that letting kids pick their own books, even if the books are pretty objectively crap (IIRC, one of the books in the study was a Brittney Spears biography), actually boosts their reading better. So maybe let them free read but then give extra "points" or double time for reading off your list?

[Sherry in OH]

The goal of the incentives is not to get the boys to read.  Both boys are voracious readers.  They liked participating in library summer programs when the focus was on reading.  They like earning prizes.  Their only disappointment at being told that we are unlikely to be participating in the library’s program this year is that they want to earn prizes. Thus, mom’s summer reading program.  

 

For the past few years, both boys have been required to read a minimum of 30 minutes per day.  Usually they voluntarily read more than that.  So no prizes are needed for reading time.  They do have the tendency to read and re-read works by the same few authors. While I do not mind some re-reading, I want to encourage them to try books by authors whose works are new to them. That is why I am offering incentives for reading books on my lists.

 

Both boys like miniature golf.  They also like getting a bucket of balls and hitting them on the driving range.  They both would really like to go to an amusement park.  I could give them the lists at the beginning of May. They would then have three months to read 10 books. Otherwise, offer a movie instead of the amusement park?  Movie theatres are open year round.   

[Tanaqui]

I could give them the lists at the beginning of May. They would then have three months to read 10 books.

 

That seems doable for most kids - and really, some kids read faster than others. I could've easily read ten books in ONE week by the time I was in the third grade. Still read at about that pace :) I'm just trying to be fair because I don't know your kids. I had no friends, and thus no distractions, that's how I did it back then.

 

So if you think that's a reasonable goal for your boys, and you're absolutely certain you aren't being ridiculous, then go for it. Don't let us talk you out of it.

[SKL]

I like the idea of encouraging a variety of authors.  If those incentives are motivating to your kids, then it sounds like a good plan.

[Mrs Twain]

Yes, for your situation I agree you should make the book list and award prizes for books read off that list.

 

For our summer reading, we give prizes based on number of pages read rather than number of books. Otherwisey kids would choose only the shorter boooks from the list and never pick something like Lord of the Rings.

 

I like your prizes. We give cash prizes to our kids. When they were little, we paid them in ones and it looked like a big pile of money. LOL Do whatever motivates your kids!

[Alice]

I think your plan sounds good. 

 

I make a summer reading list for each kid based on what my goals are for that kid. (Last year for my oldest who is a voracious reader but likes to read fantasy books slightly below his ability level....I put meatier books that I thought he would enjoy but that were more challenging than his usual choices. For my second son who started books but never finished them...I put high-interest shortish books so that he would finish and feel good about it. For my daughter who was just really becoming a reader...I put fun earlyish chapter books.)

 

They each have to read one book off my list a month. I don't do incentives. They read a lot more then that but I've only required the one book from my list. Other than that I just encourage them to read a lot whatever they choose.