FOR PARENTS · AGES 5–11
Summer holiday reading without the battle
A few minutes a day beats a big target nobody keeps. Let your child choose what they read, and try the library's Summer Reading Challenge for a goal and a reward.
How Litsee helps: illustrated stories your child steers, written for their age (5 to 11) and read aloud if you like.
Start your free trial7 days free. A card is needed to start.
Six weeks without school, and the reading record has gone quiet. You want your child to keep reading, but not to spend the summer arguing about it. The answer is to make summer reading feel like part of the holiday, not homework: short, often and their choice. This guide shows how.
By the Litsee team · Last reviewed · About this guide
The short answer: little, often and their choice
You don't need a reading timetable. The DfE's tips for parents say: “Just a few minutes a day can have a big impact on children of all ages.” And on choice, they remind parents that “it doesn’t just have to be books. There’s fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics, magazines, recipes and much more.” (DfE).
The same tips end with the line that matters most in the holidays: “What matters most is that they enjoy it.” A child who reads a comic on the beach every day is building the habit the national curriculum describes, to “develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information” (DfE national curriculum).
Does reading really dip over the summer?
You may have read about a “summer slide”. The official guidance is calmer than the headlines. The DfE's reading framework says: “Loss of learning over the summer holidays might account for some pupils’ initial struggle in secondary school, but any dips rebound quickly if pupils are already strong readers.” (DfE reading framework).
The Education Endowment Foundation, which reviews research for schools, says summer reading schemes have promise: “Consider initiatives to encourage summer reading; these have some promise but are not widely used at present.” It adds that “the approach may be particularly beneficial for disadvantaged children, who are most at risk of falling behind in the summer” (EEF).
So there's no need to panic, and no need for worksheets. If your child is a confident reader, a summer of reading for fun keeps them going. If reading is still hard for them, a little reading every day matters more, and it's worth asking their teacher before the holidays which books will suit them.
The Summer Reading Challenge at your library
The Summer Reading Challenge is run by The Reading Agency with public libraries. Children sign up, then, in the Challenge's own words: “Set a reading goal and read anything you like.” At the library, “Each time you finish a book, visit the library. You will collect special stickers and rewards for reading books!” Rewards vary, so “Please check with your local library service which rewards they will be offering.” (Summer Reading Challenge).
Each year has a theme. “The 2026 Summer Reading Challenge is Read to the Beat, delivered by The Reading Agency in partnership with public libraries and powered by Universal Music Group UK.” It was due to launch on 20 June in Scotland and 4 July in England and Wales. We'll add the 2027 theme and dates here when they're announced.
Signing up at the library is the simplest way in, and a librarian can help your child pick books. There's also an online version, which asks for an account; if you use it, read its privacy information with your child first. To find your nearest library, use GOV.UK's local library services finder (England and Wales).
Libraries are worth a visit all summer, challenge or not. The DfE's tips say: “Local libraries also offer brilliant online materials, including audiobooks and ebooks to borrow.” (DfE).
Twelve summer reading ideas
Pick a few that suit your family and print the list for the fridge. It's paper only: nothing on this page is saved or sent.
Join the library challenge
A book for every bag
Audiobooks for long journeys
Read the holiday
Cook from a recipe
A story treasure hunt
Bedtime chapter book
Comics and magazines
Read to someone
Write a postcard
Rainy-day reading den
Follow a fascination
For a summer goal at home, our free reading bingo card gives your child a grid of different things to read, to tick off on paper.
Reading on holidays, days out and journeys
Holidays are full of real reading: signs, timetables, menus, maps and leaflets. Ask your child to find the gate number, read the ice-cream flavours or work out which way the castle is. It's reading with a purpose, and it doesn't feel like practice.
Long journeys suit audiobooks: a story everyone in the car can follow. They're listening rather than decoding, so mix them with books your child reads themselves. Our guide to whether comics and audiobooks count explains what each kind of reading does.
The DfE's tips also suggest making reading active: “You could organise treasure hunts related to what you’re reading.” (DfE). A rainy afternoon treasure hunt, with clues your child has to read, is reading practice they'll ask to repeat.
If your child won't read in the holidays
Many children see reading as a school job, so the holidays feel like a break from it. Pushing harder usually makes that worse. Instead:
- Let them choose. A comic, a joke book or a football magazine they want to read beats a classic they don't.
- Read to them. A chapter at bedtime keeps stories in their summer without asking them to do the reading.
- Keep it short. Ten minutes that end while it's still fun are better than half an hour that ends in tears.
- Don't use reading as a punishment or as the price of screen time. It teaches children that reading is a chore.
Our guide to reluctant readers has more ideas for children who've gone off reading.
Getting ready for September
In the last week or two of the holidays, bring back a little routine: a regular reading time, the book bag found and a trip to the library for something new to start the term with. If your child is moving to secondary school, a confident start with reading helps. The reading framework is blunt: “Struggling readers, however, falter at the first secondary hurdle.” (DfE reading framework). If you're worried, tell the new school early.
Questions parents ask
How much should my child read over the summer holidays?
There's no official amount. The DfE's tips for parents say just a few minutes a day can have a big impact, and that what matters most is that children enjoy it. A short, regular habit is easier to keep going than a big target.
What is the Summer Reading Challenge?
A summer reading scheme run by The Reading Agency with public libraries. Children sign up at their library or online, set a reading goal and read anything they like. At the library they collect stickers and rewards as they finish books; check with your library which rewards it offers.
Does reading drop over the summer holidays?
It can. The DfE's reading framework says any dips rebound quickly for pupils who are already strong readers. The EEF says summer reading may help most for disadvantaged children, who are most at risk of falling behind in the summer.
My child refuses to read in the holidays. What can I do?
Take the pressure off. Let them choose what they read, including comics, magazines and audiobooks, read aloud to them and make reading part of days out. Short, enjoyable reading every day does more than a battle over a long book.
Do audiobooks count as summer reading?
Listening to stories builds vocabulary and understanding, and the DfE's tips mention libraries' audiobooks and ebooks to borrow. Mix them with some reading on paper or screen, so your child keeps practising reading the words themselves.
Sources
- Summer Reading Challenge: how it works The Reading Agency, with public libraries, 2026 Challenge, checked 3 November 2026
- 10 top tips for parents to support children to read Department for Education, 16 July 2020, updated 25 April 2022, checked 3 November 2026
- The reading framework Department for Education, July 2023, updated 22 September 2023, checked 3 November 2026
- Working with parents to support children's learning (guidance report) Education Endowment Foundation, 2018, checked 3 November 2026
- National curriculum in England: English programmes of study (key stages 1 and 2) Department for Education, September 2013, updated 16 July 2014, checked 3 November 2026
- Local library services GOV.UK, England and Wales, checked 3 November 2026
About this guide
Written by the Litsee team and checked line by line against the sources listed on this page.
The twelve summer ideas are our own suggestions. Summer Reading Challenge details change every year: check the Challenge's website and your local library for this year's theme, dates and rewards.
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email info@litsee.com and we will fix it. Last reviewed: .
A summer of stories they choose
In Litsee your child picks the hero and decides what happens next, in an illustrated story written for their age.
Start your free trialA card is needed to start the trial, and nothing is charged if you cancel before it ends. See plans and pricing