FREE Summer Reading Programs

With summer comes sunny days at the pool, exciting family vacations and time for relaxation. Another thing that comes with summer is something educators have referred to as the “summer slide,” the tendency for students to lose some of what they have learned during the last school year.

Thankfully, because of several incentivized programs in our area, the summer slide does not have to be inevitable. There are plenty of ways to keep children engaged in learning, including the offerings below which make it fun with various prizes and earnings.

1. Barnes and Noble provides students in grades 1-6 a way to stay active with reading over the summer, without spending anything. Read any 8 books and record them in the reading journal. Bring your completed journal to any Barnes and Noble during July or August and choose a free book from the list in the journal.

2. BBGB allows children to read 8 books of their choice and record it on their activity sheet. Prizes range from raffle entry to a cookie from Sugar & Twine.

3. Books-A-Million and 2nd and Charles are doing the same promotion. Read any 4 books from the Summer Reading Adventure and complete the accompanying journal (available in stores or print from the website). You do not need to make a purchase to receive the prize.

4. Chesterfield County Public Library has a Summer Learning Program with plenty of activities and ways to earn prizes. The App, Beanstack will make keeping track of your activities easier. To complete the learning program, complete 10 of the activities in the challenge.

5. Chuck E. Cheese has several reward charts and calendars on the website, so parents can cater incentives to the child’s needs. For example, a child who needs math reinforcement can work for 15 minutes a day on math to earn her sticker for that day. Once reward charts are complete, redeem them at Chuck E. Cheese for 10 free points to use on games, pizza and more.

6. Henrico County Public Library offers a youth fine-free summer to encourage young people to read, enjoy the library and sign up for Summer Reading. Additionally, the library provides prizes for reading including a free book and enamel pin once you reach your summer reading goal.

7. Pizza Hut is back to do the Book It Program! This program is for students in Pre-K through 6th grade. Parents or the students keep track of books read and as the reading goal is met, free personal pan pizzas are earned!

8. Richmond Public Library encourages reading with a free, incentivized program. Students will need to keep a log of books they have read. Each prize includes an entry into the grand prize drawing, which is a $100 gift card to the local business of the student’s choice.

With so many options, there are many ways to keep students engaged in learning this summer. With prizes like books, pizza, games and more, keeping children motivated is a cinch!

More Fun with Kids

Lindsay Garrison loves Richmond and is proud to raise her own family here. As a teacher for 12 years, she learned how to save, budget and stretch every penny. Additionally, she led groups of students to Europe annually, and took great pride in planning affordable, fun-filled trips. She transferred those skills to her daily life and shares them with readers of RVA on the Cheap. Lindsay utilizes RVA on the Cheap to make enriching life experiences accessible to all. Check her instagram: rva.familyfun for more affordable family adventures!