Printable Summer Reading Challenge List for Kids

Printable Summer Reading Challenge List

Did you know that kids who don’t read on a regular basis can lose an average of 2-3 months’ worth of vital reading skills over summer break? Losing those skills can put your child at risk for falling behind their classmates, particularly in the elementary years, so keeping your kids motivated and encouraged to read all summer long is a MUST!

To get kids reading this summer, we put together a winning combination that is sure to inspire them – a free printable Summer Reading List inspired by the latest book by bestselling author Jeff Kinney, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal. 

Do your kids love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series? The all-new Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal is a spin-off of the beloved series, and your kids are sure to love it just as much (or even MORE!) than the original! 

The new book features Rowley Jefferson who is the best friend of Greg Heffley, aka the Wimpy Kid who has been chronicling his adventures for years in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (with book #14 set to come out later this year!). Rowley has decided that it’s time to start a journal of his own to share his experiences and a little more about his soon-to-be-famous friend Greg…with hilarious results along the way!

As soon as I received this new book on our doorstep, my own super “Awesome Friendly Kid” had ripped the package open and dived head-first into the book! He is a HUGE fan of books and reading, and he always reads books from cover-to-cover the very first day that he gets them! (By the way, he says that Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal, “Definitely gets five out of five stars!”)

When Simon transitioned from homeschool to public school this year, he had some anxiety about the idea of being in a classroom full of other kids. To ease his nerves, we spoke a lot about how important it is to be kind and friendly to other students, especially in new situations. He learned that it is important to have a positive outlook, and all of his new friends agree that he is most definitely an “Awesome Friendly Kid!” He mastered the art of being nice and making new friends this year, and I think that Rowley Jefferson’s positive attitude and kindness in Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal really resonated with him! It’s such a great message!

Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal is written and illustrated in the same graphic novel style as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, so your young readers will likely be familiar with the format already. The book is recommended for ages 8-12, and all three of my boys (ages 8, 12, and 13) read it and really enjoyed it! 

So, now that you’ve discovered a fun new book that your kids will love to read this summer, there’s no better way to keep that excitement going than with a reading challenge!

Our free printable reading challenge list comes with TEN different characters!

Pick one of the tasks on the reading challenge list, and check them off one at a time as you complete them! 

My boys like to take their reading challenge lists to the library with them each week during summertime so that they can remember which items are still unchecked…and as a bonus, it usually encourages them to check out more books than they would have if they had only come to the library thinking about a single task like “I need a book about animals” or “I need a book with yellow on the cover.”

To make our summer reading challenge even more interesting and fast-paced, I like to award prizes to the kids as they complete their checklist. The first to complete their list gets the biggest prize, but everyone wins something special for completing the challenge. It’s a win-win all around! 

Get the Summer Reading Challenge List Here

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