Free Summer Reading Programs/ Events for Kids 2026

Get ready for summer! We have a list of the best summer reading programs!

Get the kids reading and to keep them motivated, we have a list of the best summer reading programs they can get involved in.

Check out this list and see if there is anything that catches your eye.

Also if you need to get the kids fed this summer on the cheap/free, check out our list huge master list of programs now!

• Barnes and Noble - Kids in grades 1- 6, can score a free book, for reading books and writing about them in their Reading Journal!

• Books- A- Million - Score a free hat just for reading books, find your local Books-a-million HERE!

• Chuck E Cheese - Have your child read and fill out the Chuck E Cheese Reading Rewards Calendar, and they’ll get 10 free play points!

• Half Priced Books - Starting June 1st you’ll be able to sign up for their Summer Reading Club!

• IMAGINATION LIBRARY – Ages 1-5 can receive FREE books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library! Check availability HERE!

• MENSA FOR KIDS  – Excellence in Reading Program – Earn a commemorative certificate in recognition of your outstanding achievement and get an Excellence in Reading T-shirt, too!

• PANDA EXPRESS – Read with me program! Kids can enroll in their “class” and get a bookmark and reward materials. When students meet their goal of reading 5 books they can get a FREE kids meal coupon! Looks like this one may be more geared for teachers, etc. to do with/for their students, but it’s still a great program!

• PIZZA HUT BOOK-IT – The Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program is a fun program designed to encourage kids to read throughout the school year, and during their summer break too. It gives kids a chance to earn a free personal-sized pizza and more, all on their own.

• READING WITH THE RAYS – This program opens for the year on May 26th! In previous years you could score tickets to the games!

• SEAHAWK’S – Join the Seahawk’s Summer Reading program! With every 25,000 minutes that the Seahawks community reads collectively, they release new prizes to their readers at random. During the summer reading program, the top reader each month will receive a special Seahawks Swag Bag, with the top overall reader at the end of the summer winning a personal Blitz visit to their school!