The Free Library of Philadelphia’s Summer of Wonder program is a reading challenge for all ages that allows participants to attend fun Free Library events, find new books to read, and explore activities to stay engaged throughout the summer.

Simply sign up at your neighborhood library to get started, or register online with Beanstack (and/or download the free app for iOS and Android devices) to participate online and on the go. Kids and teens who take part in the program will even have the chance to win some cool prizes, but if that isn’t enough to motivate them, here are a few more ways to get kids and teens reading this summer!

Read Together

PBS Kids reports that reading aloud to kids from a young age strengthens their "social, emotional, and character development" and is "the single most important activity for building knowledge" and achieving academic success. Both PBS and Scholastic offer tips to make family reading time an easy part of your daily routine. Additionally, vital programs like Read, Baby, Read and Read by 4th promote early literacy development in Philly and help ensure our children become the strong readers they deserve to be. As they age, carving out time to read alongside your teens can be a great way to connect and continue to help build an enlightened community devoted to lifelong learning.

Watch the Movie First

So many great books get the "Hollywood treatment." Whether it’s streaming a beloved classic for free from the Library (with Kanopy and your library card), or hitting the movie theater for a new release, get kids and teens excited to read the book by watching the film adaptation first. Later, discuss all the similarities and differences, and decide which version they liked best! Plays based on books are another exciting way to inspire kids and teens to read. GreatSchools.org even suggests acting out scenes from favorite stories with funny character voices, costumes, and props from around the house, noting that, "By imagining themselves in the roles of their favorite characters, children can make a deeper connection to what they’re reading."

Keep Books Accessible

Child Mind Institute notes that "summer reading doesn’t just keep kids from losing the skills they learned at school. It also helps them build confidence and a love of reading." Kids and teens are more likely to pick up a book when one is always in reach — especially when it’s a book they picked out for themselves. Unlike required reading when school is in session, summer provides ample time and an opportunity to read whatever sparks their interest! The Free Library of Philadelphia provides access to a huge catalog of books, audiobooks, e-books, comics and graphic novels, magazines, and more for kids and teens at all reading levels, and visiting the library is a wonderful place to spend some time on a hot summer day.

Do you love the Library? Donate to the Free Library Fund today, and help us support the Library’s mission to advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity for readers of all ages!

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The Free Library is one of the most important educational and cultural institutions in Philadelphia. While the City of Philadelphia provides public funds for the operations of the Free Library, it is through the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation and the generosity of private funding from individuals, foundations, and corporations that the Free Library can offer many of the Library’s incredible programs and activities that advance literacy, guide learning, inspire curiosity throughout the region, and help deliver on the promise of an equitable future for all of Philadelphia’s children, families, and communities.