Summer Reading Scratch-off Boards

Kids love this fun scratch-off game that encourages summer reading!

Every summer I like to do some kind of summer reading incentive at home. We also participate in the library's program, and maybe a bookstore program or two, but the kids always love the one we do at home.

This year I made myself laugh by coming up with a devious plan to ruin their fun. I was going to offer them a dime for every book they read OR they could trade it in for a chance at the "risk board", kind of like that "Let's Make a Deal" game show. The risk board would have some really cool fun stuff on it, but also some chores or punishments. I thought it was a hilarious plan. My 12 year old thought it sounded awful. I decided against it in the long run but instead came up with an idea for a scratch-off board which so far they have loved.


Every time they read a book (or two, depending on how long/hard the books are) they write the title on our summer reading book lists and put the book away. That's an important step or we end up with books all over the house. Then they scratch off a square on our scratch-off boards and get whatever prize they reveal. The prizes I included were 25 cents, 50 cents, a dollar, ice cream (I keep drumsticks ice cream cones in our freezer for this prize), a prize from our prize basket (which contains candy, gum, bubbles, and other small things), or a free media day (where they can play on electronic devices or watch shows as long as they want once their morning work is done).

Here's how to make your own Summer Reading Scratch-Off boards:

Supplies:

foam brushes
dark colored paint
dish soap
laminator, or contact paper, or packing tape
Summer Reading Scratch-Off Boards (I have included the 4 different versions I used for my 4 kids plus a blank one you can fill in with your own prizes.  The kids were pretty disappointed when they learned not all the boards were the same and they couldn't figure out where things were by looking at what their siblings had scratched off. Hahahahaha)

Instructions:

Print out your Scratch-Off Boards onto card stock. Now you need to cover the boxes with something clear and slippery. I first tried just covering the bottom part with Con-tact paper but found it wasn't great. I ended up running the whole page through my laminator (which I love) and it worked great. Plus I can reuse the boards! I've also read that some people just cover the spots with packing tape and that works.

Next mix up your scratch-off paint. You use 2 parts paint and one part dishwashing soap. I did not measure. I just put two dabs of paint on a paper plate and then guestimated a dab of soap that was half that size. It worked. Don't mix them together too vigorously or you will get lots of bubbles.

Then, using your foam brush, paint over your boxes and let them dry. Reapply as many coats as you need in order to hide the prize. If I had thought it through, I would have printed out the prize in lighter color ink instead of black so they were easier to cover up. If you handwrite them in with a pencil that will also be easier to cover. It took 3 coats of the blue and green paints to cover the prize, and about 7 of the pink paint. Seriously. It was painful. Use dark colored paint.

I had taken a penny and scratched around the boxes to make them look nice and neat since I was taking pictures for the blog, but really don't worry too much about staying perfectly in the lines. Kids won't care.

(Also, after I posted this, my sister improved the idea by saying she just uses different colored card stock, handwrites the prizes, and then only needs 1 coat of black paint/soap mixture to cover the prizes!! It makes much more sense this way. She's a genius!)

I hope you enjoyed this idea! I have lots of other summer reading incentive ideas on the blog you might like looking at. And I'd love for you to join my newsletter or follow me on Pinterest. Thanks for stopping by!

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Summer Reading Charts 2013

I can not believe today is the last day of school! It snuck up on me.  Sneaky last day of school.

Our summer reading starts today!  I love doing summer reading incentives for my kids.  We've done game boards, a beach scene, a balloon pop, and this year we are doing bookworms.

I put summer reading coupons on the back of cut out circles.  The coupons are for a dime, quarter, 30 minutes screen time (wii/computer/show), iTunes download, ice cream, prize basket (which contains random small toys I've collected from different places), or new book. I put the circles in an envelope with their name on it.

I let the kids decorate one circle to be the head of their bookworm and put it up on the wall to get started.

When the kids read a book, they will write it down on their list of books read.  If I think it was a long enough, hard enough book (so at their level) then they get to choose a circle out of the envelope, pull off the coupon, and add the circle to their bookworm (using painters tape so as not to damage the wall).  If it was an easy peasy book for them (i.e., it took them 20 minutes to read) they can still write it down, but will need to combine it with other books in order to earn a segment of their bookworm.

It will be fun to see how long their bookworms will grow this summer!  Yay for summer reading!!

(See how our long the bookworms grew and the kids' favorite books in this summer reading wrap up post)

Summer Reading Chart 2012

It's June 1st and that means summer reading!  The kids are always excited to start their summer reading charts from the library, from Grandma, and from home.

Last year's reading incentive plan worked really well, and I would have done it again this year except that we are trying to sell our house and I can't have stuff all over the walls while people are coming through.  Instead, I came up with an incentive that will be easy to take down for showings, can move easily with us to our new house, and I think is still fun and motivating, and probably more complicated than it needs to be, because I like to do that to myself.

First, I made coupons on the computer for various prizes.  Prizes this year include money, ice cream, new books, prizes from the prize basket, movie days, and play dates.  I made 20 coupons for each child, then cut them up and put them in an envelope labeled with the child's name.  That way I can make sure each child receives all the same things by the end of summer reading.

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Next I pulled out my balloons, counted out 6 for each child, and assigned each child a couple of colors.  Maren's balloons are red and pink, Joshua's are yellow and green, and Christopher's are blue and orange. I then took 6 coupons out from the envelopes for each child, folded them up, stuck one inside each balloon and blew it up.  I used pretty small balloons.

I made 18 X shaped slits in a piece of poster board and stuck the end of the balloon through the holes. I put the poster board up on the wall with tape, as well as a piece of paper for each child to write the names of their books on.

When the kids have finished an approved book, they get to pop one of their balloons and see what prize they won.  I'll then replace the balloon with another one of their color using an extra coupon from their envelope.

Maren was very excited to start reading today.  I told her she needed to be all done with morning chores before she could start a book, so last night she made a schedule for herself so that she'd be able to start as soon as possible.  It went something like:

1. wake up, make bed, be dressed by 6:55 (she didn't quite make this deadline)
2. practice violin until 7:30
3. eat breakfast until 8
4. leisure time until take J to camp (this part was my favorite)
5. practice piano until 9
6. READ!!! (she had more exclamation points, but I'll spare you)

And she and Joshua are both upstairs reading right now.  Another great part about summer reading is that when the kids are reading, it is nice and quiet and there is no fighting for a while.  Hooray for summer reading!

If you liked this idea, be sure to check out my other summer reading posts!

Summer Reading Beach Scene

Summer Reading Game Boards

Summer Reading Book Worms

And follow my summer fun board on Pinterest!

Follow Chicken Babies's board Summer Fun with Kids on Pinterest.

Summer Reading Charts 2011

I love summer reading!  I have fond memories growing up of summer trips to the library, finding a shady spot outside to read, or spending hours in my room with a good book and a bag of candy (bad, I know, but that's how it is).  I don't remember if we had reading charts every summer growing up, but I do remember one summer when my mom was handing out prizes to Emily and Greg (my older siblings) for reading and her telling me that I was too little.  Oh, the pain!  Emily got a calligraphy set, and I don't think I even knew what that was, but it was big and I didn't get one.  I apologize to my mother that I don't remember if she did reading charts any of the other years, but that's the memory that stuck with me.  (And now you also know why my handwriting is not as nice as my sister's.)

Anyhoo, I really like making summer reading charts for our kids. Last year we had game board type charts, and this year, well, I don't know what to call it.  I guess it's kind of a "pick your prize" game.  Let me show you what I did.

First, I went to the local parent-teacher store and bought 3 packs of summer themed cut-outs.

I then printed up summer reading coupons that can be turned in for 50 or 100 points on their myjobchart.com accounts, ice cream, a prize from a prize basket, or a new book.  I made eight 50 point coupons, seven 100 point coupons, 6 ice creams, 3 new books, and 6 prizes from the prize basket for each child.

I folded the coupons and taped them on the front of the cut-outs. I made 30 for each child.

I taped the cut-outs on to the wall in our hallway and put the child's initial on the back so they could see which ones were their's to choose from.

I made a beach scene on the opposite side of the hallway that they can put the cut-out on after they pull the coupon off.

Each time a child finishes a book, they get to choose one of the cut-outs that has their initial on it, take off the coupon, and put it by their figure on the other wall.  The goal is to fill up the whole scene by the end of the summer.  I don't even know if they'll all fit, but it should be fun.  For Maren, a book has to be 150 pages to count, Joshua's have to be at least 60, and Christopher just has to read a bob book to me or do a reading activity.

The kids are really excited to start reading.  Maren told me that she gets a funny feeling in her tummy every time she walks by it and she just wants to start now.  I think it will do a good job motivating the kids to read. Maren doesn't really need help in that department, but Joshua does, and Christopher is just starting to read the Bob books, so he needs some motivation to persevere through each book.

With Maren, because she already reads so much, I'm going to write different genres or specific books on the back of her cut-outs that she must read to get that coupon to help her branch out from the fantasy books.  I'll have her read a couple biography, poetry, history, and contemporary realistc fiction books this summer.

I wish I could sit and read a hundred books this summer, but unfortunately that's not going to happen. Maren once told me "Mom, I'm sorry that I get to sit here and read so much and you just have to work".  Yup.  I'm sorry too.  Enjoy it while you can little girl.

Summer Reading Charts

This year I made game board type summer reading charts for the kids. Each chart has 30 spaces, and on every 5th space there is a sticker. Every time they read a book (50 pgs. for my son, 150 for my daughter) they get to stamp a space. When they reach the sticker space they get to choose a small prize from my stash, and when they get to the treasure chest sticker at the end they get a bigger prize (which is a Klutz book this year).

For prizes this year, I bought a bunch of Silly Bandz and those Japanese take apart puzzle erasers at the parent teacher store. My kids love collecting those things. I think they're pretty cute too.

I let the kids decorate their reading charts with stickers and such. Maren put word stickers that say things like "you can do it!" near the prize squares. Funny girl.

We'll start the charts on June 1st. The kids are really excited about them and wish they could start them now.