Summer Reading Programs Teach Kids to Love Reading
- Hilary Daninhirsch
- Mar 31
- 4 min read
Known as the ”summer slide,” academic skills can decline when school is not in session, with kids potentially losing several months of learning progress. To prevent that regression, many area libraries offer programs designed to encourage reading for fun over the summer. Most of these summer reading programs offer incentives and prizes for kids who participate, which has the added benefit of bringing them into the library regularly.
Ingrid Kalchthaler, head of youth services at Shaler North Hills Library, said, ”We try to create a welcoming space to remind kids that this is their library and that their library is here for them. If we can do that at a young age, that is magic. The key is to spark the fascination and willingness to learn.”
Shaler’s summer reading program starts at the beginning of June and runs through late August. Children who sign up keep track of their books and receive raffle tickets to win weekly prizes. “They can choose anything they want to read, but we do have staff-recommended book lists, top five favorite books for each grade, and the book lists from the American Library Association,” said Kalchthaler.
She added that about 3,000 kids participate each year, spanning all ages. “It’s about creating spaces for children and caregivers to feel safe, explore what already fascinates them, and find other topics they enjoy,” she said.
To encourage regular library visits, Shaler Library combines the summer reading program with other activities, such as pizza and a story, art programs, trivia for teens, and the upcoming ”Magic Treehouse Lunch Bunch.” The library staff also visits local neighborhoods in the summer to read stories in parks and other community spaces.
Many libraries’ summer programs revolve around a theme; Shaler has adopted ”Color Our World” as 2025’s theme, a statewide initiative from the Collaborative Summer Library Program.
One aspect of the summer reading program that Kalchthaler loves is its inclusivity. “With reading, you read to the best of your ability. Everybody is on a level playing field; everyone is welcome,” she said.
Like Shaler, ”Color Our World” is also the summer 2025 theme for the Beaver County Library System’s summer reading program. “We tend to lean into it. It is designed to inspire and engage readers of all ages through diverse artistic expressions. We’re focusing on the arts this summer and how they have the power to transform, uplift, and connect all of us,” said Samantha Fabiani, children’s librarian at Beaver Area Memorial Library.
Beaver’s libraries focus on hours read rather than the number of books read.
“For our summer reading for youth patrons, you log the hours you read over the summer, and for every hour, you receive a ticket to put in a prize jar. Prizes include Carnegie Science Center tickets, Amazon gift cards, or gift cards for local businesses,” said Fabiani.
Each of the 13 libraries in Beaver County will also offer themed ”brag tags” as a county-wide incentive. “If you travel to all the libraries, you can collect their unique brag tag. They’re all different and align with our summer theme. I’ve seen people collect them and wear them as a bracelet or keychain, attaching them to their backpacks. It makes for a great souvenir from their summer reading adventures. It also gets people into libraries they’ve never visited before, allowing our county to work together as a library system,” said Fabiani.
Abigail and Samantha Fairley, ages 14 and 12, participate in Beaver Area Memorial Library’s summer reading program each year. “They love to pick out a new book after signing up for the summer reading program. There is always a selection of books for them to choose from, and it jumpstarts their reading. They also enjoy setting goals to earn tickets toward the amazing prizes given away at the end of the program,” said their mother, Loretta Fairley, adding that her daughters are never bored in the summer.
“With a good book, they can explore other worlds, live in a different time period, dive into their interests, and walk in someone else’s shoes—all from our front porch, the beach, the park, or the couch,” added Fairley.
Like other libraries, Fabiani is also planning programs designed to bring kids into the library, including partnerships with the Pittsburgh Zoo and Mad Science Pittsburgh. There are also weekly events for the more than 500 expected participants, such as an art cart, a block party, and a Lego club.
“Being rewarded for reading is a win all around! Also, setting goals and striving to reach them is a great life lesson,” said Fairley.
Northland Library’s summer reading program for children draws about 1,000 participants each year, up to age 18, many of whom are preschoolers and young children. Participants track the number of hours read rather than the number of books read.
This year’s theme, borrowed from the iRead program through the Illinois Library Association, is ”Level Up at Your Library,” which is play- and game-based. The program runs from June 1 through July 31. Children and teens will receive a game board featuring reading and non-reading challenges.
“If they come to the library, there are weekly guessing games and activities they can do on their own in the room—a bookmark contest, weekly art activities, story programs, and games for all different ages. This year, a really fun part of the summer reading program is Reading Dragons. They earn a set of beautiful dragon cards for every two hours of reading or being read to. We also have raffles, and they will get tickets for various activities to enter for the grand prizes,” said Susan Claus, manager of Northland’s children and teen services department.
Though kids can choose what they want to read, for anyone who needs a suggestion, there are plenty of librarians available to help guide children to the right books, whether that be popular dystopian fiction for teens or mysteries for elementary school-aged kids.
“We don’t put pressure on the number of books, and we don’t make the reading competitive. We like the library to be a destination. Once they come, they will enjoy it and become lifelong learners; that is our real goal,” said Claus.
For more information on these summer reading programs, visit:
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