Summer reading bingo
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Summer reading bingo
Summer reading bingo gives kids on school break a reason to pick up a book in new places. Every square is either a summer spot to read in, like the beach, a hammock, the pool or a campsite, or a summer topic to read about, like the ocean, fireflies or ice cream. A child marks a square each time a finished book fits it, so one card can carry a reader from the last day of school to Labor Day. Agree on the prize for a full line before the first book is opened.
Grid
Cards
Paper
Cards per page
Just need words? .
The 30 items in this set
Read at the beach
Read in a hammock
Read on a road trip
Read by the pool
Read at a campsite
A book about the ocean
Read under a shade tree
A book about camping
Read on a porch swing
A book about pirates
Read in a treehouse
A book about a lighthouse
Read on a picnic blanket
A book about islands
Read during a thunderstorm
A book about lemonade stands
Read with a flashlight
A book about fireflies
Read on a train
A book about stars
Read in a lawn chair
A book about baseball
Read by a lake
A book about gardens
Read during a sunset
A book about a summer fair
Read in a canoe
A book about ice cream
Read at a farmers market
A book about the mountains
Summer reading bingo tips
- Read the whole card together before the first book and circle the squares that match plans you already have. If a road trip is on the calendar, download a library audiobook or pack two paperbacks so that square fills itself on the drive.
- Decide up front how strict the place squares are. If rain cancels the beach, does reading on a beach towel in the living room count? Settling substitutions in June heads off arguments in August and keeps the card about enjoying books, not checking boxes.
- For the topic squares, nonfiction counts. A field guide to seashells can fill the ocean square, and a picture book about a lighthouse keeper covers the lighthouse square. A library trip where the child picks between two options makes the choice feel like theirs.
- Treat the time-of-day squares as small events. Save a short book for the sunset square, keep one by a window for the next thunderstorm, and let the flashlight square be a treat for a late summer bedtime.
- Keep a log of titles and dates on the back of the card. Older readers who fill it by mid-July can start a second card with a harder rule, such as finishing a whole book in one sitting by the lake.
Best for
- Ages
- Kids about 6 to 12, from early readers with picture books to confident chapter-book readers
- Group size
- One child, siblings racing each other, or a family reading together
- Duration
- One summer break, roughly 6 to 10 weeks
How to play
Each square is something to do. Players mark it once it is done; set a deadline and check the cards together at the end.
Read the full bingo rulesBy BingoCard Lab · Updated