Like many parents in the world, I want to make sure my kids continue their development throughout every stage of childhood. I hope to instill a love of reading to help build their vocabulary and continue to learn. But as we all know—life gets busy, and sometimes we forget to read together. Unfortunately, we’ve fallen out of the habit, whether it’s us reading to them or having my oldest read to us, and it’s time to change that. With Reading Month here, there’s no better time to start fresh with a reading challenge.
If you’re in the same boat, a family reading challenge is a fun and simple way to get back into the routine while making great memories. In just three easy steps, here’s how you can set up your own DIY family reading challenge:
1. Establish Rules and Commitment
Decide what you want your challenge to look like. Will it be a game? Are you tracking books, pages, or minutes read? Is it a daily, weekly, or month-long commitment? Will each person set an individual goal, or will the whole family work toward one together?
Since we have young kids, we’re keeping it simple—one book per day for the month of March. The goal is to read more as a family. We’ll mix up the types of books and who will read, which is especially important for our new reader.
Bottom line, agree on some guidelines to keep it fun and engaging, like choosing different genres or taking turns picking books. There’s no wrong way to do a reading challenge. Make it your own and enjoy the process.
2. Set Up a Tracking System
Decide how you want to track progress—a chart, an app, a spreadsheet, or a calendar. Get creative with it. Grab some paper, markers, and stickers, and let the kids help design it.
For us, a calendar makes the most sense. Each day of the month has a different prompt, like who will read or what type of book to pick. Some of them are silly such as, “Pick a book about food.”
Remember, tracking helps keep the challenge on track and adds excitement as you see your progress.
3. Gather Your Books
Make sure everyone has books they’re excited to read. Visit the library, swap books with friends, or create a themed reading list. Mixing genres and formats like graphic novels, audiobooks, or read-alouds keeps things fresh and fun.
If you’re anything like us, you probably have plenty of books at home, some favorites, and some that don’t get much love. With little ones, bedtime book choices can be a challenge in itself. To make it easier, we’re picking a few go-to books in advance so we don’t have to think too hard when it’s time to read.
The best bet is to make it easy and do what works best for you and your family to get you closer to accomplishing your goals.
BONUS: Add An Incentive
A little extra motivation never hurts. Consider a fun reward for reaching your goal, like a family movie night, a trip to the bookstore, or picking a fun weekend activity.
A family reading challenge is about more than just books—it’s about spending time together, sparking curiosity, and building a lifelong love of reading. So, grab your books and start your challenge today.
