Summer Reading Activities

Embark on a Literary Adventure: 10 Weeks of Summer Reading and Writing Fun!

Week 1: All Things Summer

Create a list of enjoyable things to do in the summer. Describe what makes them fun.
Grab some sidewalk chalk and practice writing letters, words and names.
List all the books by your favorite author. See how many you can read this summer.
Summer days are the longest days of the year. Create a list of the longest words you know.

Week 2: The Great Outdoors

Take a walk. Close your eyes and listen for the sounds of summer. Make a list of the sounds!
Write and illustrate a story about your favorite outdoor activity.
Go on a backyard alphabet hunt.
Have a read and draw “picnic.”

Week 3: Summer Food Fun

Create a family dinner menu. Write out a shopping list together and then prepare the meal together. Share something new you learned while creating this menu.
Choose a new recipe. Read it together and have fun making it.
Create your own summer inspired drink or snack. Write the recipe on a card and serve it to friends.
Play a word game with the word watermelon. How many smaller words can you generate within the word?

Week 4: Discover Your Neighborhood

Visit a public library and check out some books.
Create a map of your home.
Write a thank you note to your local fire station. Plan a time to visit the fire station and deliver the thank you note.
Take a walk around the neighborhood. Before going, make a list of things that you think you will see. When you return, review the list to check off what you saw and add other things to the list that you observed on your walk.

Week 5: Get in the Game

Have a treasure hunt. Leave picture or word clues to follow and find the treasure.
Play book-themed Pictionary. Have everyone write at least one book title on a piece of paper. Fold the papers and put them in a bowl. Divide the players into teams. Teams take turns selecting a drawer. The drawer picks a paper from the bowl and draws clues for their teammates, who try to guess the book title.
Play family bedtime story relay. One family member starts the story and then passes it on to the next person after a few sentences, continuing until everyone has had at least one chance to add to the story and it has an ending.
Play literacy bingo hunt. Create a bingo card with various genres on the card. How many types of books can the family read this week to get bingo?

Week 6: Numeric Narratives

Plant flowers or vegetable seeds. Make a graph to chart their growth.
Read the daily weather report. Chart the high and low temperature for each day of the week.
Chart all the books you have read this summer. Be sure to add them up and write the total.
Have each family member create a “top ten favorite books” list and share them with each other.

Week 7: Road Trip!

Look at a map of the United States. Pick a state you would like to visit and research the top 5 places to see in that state.
Florida is full of adventures. Read up on our national parks and pick your favorite. Create a brochure for others to read.
Look up the furthest point in the United States from your home. Plan out a road trip and write all the states you would travel through.
Pick a destination you would like to visit (the beach, a big city, theme park, etc.). Find a book that has that destination and read it as a family.

Week 8: Time Travel

Imagine the world in 500 years. Write a story about what the world will be like.
Read a book about a past president.
Select historical fiction books and read them together. Afterward, delve into the historical period by visiting a museum, watching documentaries or doing online research. Discuss the differences between the book’s portrayal and historical reality.
Ask a parent to share his or her favorite childhood book. Read the book together and talk about your favorite parts.

Week 9: Big Skies

Look for shapes and designs in the clouds. Draw them and then write a story about what you see.
Research what birds live in your area. Wake up early to go bird watching and list the birds you see.
Design and write directions for a paper airplane.
Read a book about constellations. Go out at night to see how many you can spot.

Week 10: Get Creative

Read a story. Make puppets of the characters out of small paper bags. Put on a puppet show.
Paint a picture and write a caption for it.
Make a story starter wheel. Everyone takes a spin and creates their own story.
Use playdough to make letters and words. How many different words can you create?

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