Do you remember having a summer reading log when you were younger? Often if you read a certain amount of books, you would receive some type of awesome prize such as ice cream or a pizza party!

Reading logs are still a great motivator for our youngest readers, but they don’t have to be for just the summer.

Have you tried year round reading logs with your children? Not only are reading logs a great way to motivate your children to read by providing incentives, but it also is a great way to hold your child accountable for their reading.

Beginning readers should read for at least 20 minutes to someone or with someone. Reading everyday is so very important, especially in the beginning stages.

With this being said, your child will not be able to read indepdently for 20 minutes from the get go! Build up their reading stamina by starting small and building up the minutes over a few weeks! Start with 3-5 minutes, use a timer, and then continue to work on building the time as the days go by. Build your child up and commend them for being such an amazing reader! Tell them how proud you are of them! Even if a child can not read very well, they can still look at the pictures and words as they “read” their books during their reading time.

Have your child write down the date, the book title, and the amount of time they read each day. Have an adult initial or stamp the reading log everytime your child reads. When your child hits certain milestones, give them a reward! There are so many free or cheap rewards you can use for your child to motivate them to read, read, read!

Reward and Incentive Ideas:

• doing something special such as going to the playground or the pool
• having a treat such as ice cream, pizza, or popcorn
• earning a small toy from target dollar spot or even a small amount of money
  

We decided to give rewards for every 120 minutes of reading. Remember, you can modify this based on your beliefs and your children!

Do you want to try a reading log with your child? Click below to download your reading log.

What kinds of rewards and incentives would motivate your child to read more?