Summer Reading Challenge
For those who want something better than the local library's provision...
I come not to praise libraries but to better them!1 After last week’s post discussing libraries and Arminianism, I present here a Summer Reading Challenge2, for everyone who would like something better than the dismal offering most of them provide3. This is the third year I’ve done these sort of challenges with my own children over the Summer Holidays, and they’ve been met with great enthusiam each year.
There are two challenges here : one Paddington themed, the other Lord of the Rings themed, to suit both younger and older children. I’m sharing here the versions I’ve made for my own children, Eldest (10) and Youngest (6) - but if anyone wants an original Word file4, so you can tweak and adapt as you wish, please contact me5 and I will send it to you. These are potentially suitable for children6 of almost any age, with a bit of adjustment.
If you think your children would enjoy - or know others who would - please do use and share.
These Reading Challenges are an extravaganza of maps, voyages, categories and hidden envelopes - each of contains additional challenges or prizes. Each contains three categories: Bronze (7 books), Silver (7 books) and Gold (6 books). Although books can be read in any order, ne needs to complete all of Bronze to achieve Bronze, all of Bronze and Silver to achieve Silver and all twenty to achieve Gold, completion of each of the subsections potentially being marked by a sticker or badge.
But let’s start with the maps!
Youngest has a Paddington map of adventures around London:
While Eldest has the quest to throw the One Ring in to Mount Doom:
See the trail and those numbers on each map? Each time the child reads a book - regardless of category, regardless of medal - they place a sticker on the next square, moving them one step closer to their destination. Thus even though the ability to complete the categories in any order provides choice and flexibility, the map creates a sense of linear progression.
But what about the asterisks, I hear you ask? Each time a child reaches a square with an asterisk, they are able to open a special envelope. These mainly contain positive rewards (for example, you may ask for your favourite breakfast, or you may stay up an extra hour past your normal bedtime to read more7) but occasionally - when it reflects something bad on the map - it is a penalty, such as having to read a book to your sibling before you can continue.
Lord of the Rings ‘envelopes’:
Paddington ‘envelopes’
And here is the downloadable file:
But wait, I here you say, what about the actual books? What books do they have to read?
Both the Paddington and Lord of the Rings challenges have different categories. Eldest (LotR), as one might expect, has slightly harder categories, but largely the ‘challenge’ is provided by the child chosing appropriate books. In previous years, I’ve included slightly different categories, including ‘a book written over 500 years ago’, and you should feel free to tweak these to suit your own needs.
Lord of the Rings Challenge
Paddington Challeng
And again, the downloadable file:
And what about the prizes? I typically use a bronze, silver or gold sticker for each category, and, at the end of the summer, a £5/£10/£20 book voucher, depending on whether they’ve achieved Bronze, Silver or Gold8 - but you should feel free to tailor to your budget and inclination. Or nothing at all, if you believe extrinsic rewards are bad!9
I hope you enjoy, share, adapt and use - reading is the best! And please do share and pass on with anyone else who you think (or whose children you think!) might enjoy.
I still love libraries though.
Last year, for reasons best known only to me (i.e. stupid reasons) I posted about my reading challenge at the end of summer, where it was utterly useless to anyone. This year I am doing better!
Yes, I know something this complex would be utterly impractical. But would it kill them to do something better than ‘read any six books and get a sticker for each.’ Like, maybe an ‘advanced’ version with some categories?
Slightly annoyingly, Substack will only allow me to embed PDFs.
Via this page: https://substack.com/@edrith
Or even adults!
Haha, your reward is to read more!
Both are highly competitive, so have always achieved Gold thus far!
I do kind of agree that this is in the case in most situations. But I am willing to relax my principles in certain situations, such as this one, especially when the prize for reading books is MORE BOOKS!!!!
Who thinks extrinsic rewards are bad for superrogatory efforts?!