The summer learning slump is something we all want to avoid for our kids, but we want to give them a break from the rigors of the school year, too. Reading is a great way to keep our kids learning in a fun way throughout the summer. We’re a bunch of bookworms at our house, and along with our library cards, there are a number of summer reading programs in San Antonio to encourage our kids to pick up a book. Here are some of those local summer reading programs below:
The Mayor’s Summer Reading Program
Kids ages 0-12 years can sign up for free at any San Antonio Public Library location or online to participate in the Mayor’s Summer Reading Program, which runs from June 1 – August 31. When you’ve logged 8 books on your Over the Moon reading log, you can bring the log in to your local library to receive your certificate and a free paperback book to keep.
In addition to the kids program, SAPL also has summer reading programs for teens and adults. Teens ages 13-18 can participate by reading 8 books, attending 8 events––or any combination of both––and receive a free limited edition Teen Summer t-shirt.
Grand prizes for the adult reading program include a telescope, home planetarium star projector, binoculars, and Cosmic Mayhem mini-golf tickets.
Read our post about kid-friendly programs in downtown and area library locations here: San Antonio Public Library’s Kid-Friendly Programs in and Around Downtown
Bexar BiblioTech Summer Reading Club
San Antonio is fortunate enough to be home to the nation’s first all-digital public library, and they have a fun summer reading program for readers of all ages, too. Participants have from June 1 – August 10 to complete the reading missions on the printable gameboard. Kids can stop by any BiblioTech location to collect a prize for each mission completed, and all participants can enter a grand prize raffle for a chance to win SeaWorld tickets, Splashtown tickets, and more. Winners will be drawn on August 15th.
Read more about the BiblioTech Library system here: https://sachartermoms.com/2019/04/25/bexar-countys-bibliotech-digital-library/
The Twig Summer Reading Program
The Twig, San Antonio’s local independent bookstore located in The Historic Pearl, is hosting a Splat the Cat Attacks Summer Reading program from June 1 – August 9. With rewards for every 10 books read, you can also enter their weekly drawings for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate. You can visit the store to pick up your reading log, or download it here.
Half Price Books
Kids 14 and under can sign up for Half Price Books’ Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program and log how many minutes they read each day. Once you’ve reached 300 minutes, you can turn in your reading log for $5 in Bookworm Bucks to redeem for a book of your choice. The program runs during June and July, and Bookworm Bucks must be used by August 29.
Teens can also earn Bookworm Bucks by writing a 140 character online review of a book. Learn more about the Half Price Books summer reading program, along with reading logs, coloring sheets, and recommended reading lists on their website.
Barnes & Noble
Kids in grades 1-6 can participate in the Barnes and Noble summer reading incentive, and fill out the reading journal to receive a free book after they’ve read 8 books. Reading journals can be submitted from August 1 – 31. Teens and young adults can participate in their YA Book Club held the 2nd Thursday of every month.
