Library Program Multiplies Rewards of Reading

If you are looking for a fun way to keep your kids’ reading skills from getting rusty over the summer, look no further than your local branch of the St. Louis County Library— at 5430 Telegraph Road.

The St. Louis metro area boasts a wide selection of free activities for entertaining kids over the summer (one of the reasons I think St. Louis is the best city to raise kids in), and the Summer Reading Program is one that we look forward to every year. 

With reading programs for every age, from babies to adults, everyone can get motivated to read this summer. For example, even my one-year-old is participating, with 20 little circles to color in as we tick off the books we’ve read over the summer. When she reached 10 books, we stopped at the library for her Prize Stop, where they stamped her tenth book and give her a pint-size prize. She won a little car that had all kinds of fun baby-friendly tabs and flaps to open. 

Older kids have a bit more of a challenge, with a goal of either 36 books read or 36 reading sessions of 20 minutes each. The reading program is easy to tailor to your child’s age or your household rules. My 4-year-old colors in a circle for each 20-minute session with a grown-up, but my 6-year-old can choose between a 20-minute session with a grown-up reading or reading a book on his own (we aim for books that equate about 20 minutes of reading). 

My son is required to write the names of the books he has read on the log sheet, so he gets writing practice along with keeping his reading skills sharp. In addition, we make the reading program a team effort. None of the kids get to go cash-in for a prize until all three have reached the goal. This encourages my son to read to his younger sisters to help them reach their goal too. 

The prizes offered to the older kids at each Prize Stop are great. At the end of the first round, they were each awarded a light-up giant bouncy ball, plus coupons for free entrance to the Magic House and a slush at Sonic. 

Second round prizes included a backpack to carry library books home and a coupon for a Sonic corndog, plus entry into drawings for Blues and Cardinals tickets. My son won the Cardinals tickets two years ago and our family had a great time at the ballgame. 

Along with the great encouragement to read at home, the library also offers fantastic entertainment throughout the summer at various branches. Popular performers like Juggling Jeff and Babaloo are just two of the sought-after acts that will appear this summer at local branches of the library. Besides entertainers, the program offers a variety of options such as a Chinese culture day and an insect day where kids can meet a real bug chef. 

There’s plenty of summer left to join in on the fun at any St. Louis County Library. To sign up for the program and receive a brochure detailing the program offerings, visit your local branch of the library. And don’t be left out while your kids earn all the loot—there’s even a reading program for adults, and participants can enter drawings to win prizes after reading 10 books. 

It takes five minutes to sign up for the program, but the benefits will multiply for you and your family. Thanks to the prizes our kids have earned, we’ve already had two fun family outings to Sonic and I keep catching my son cuddled up on the couch, reading on his own and sometimes one of his sisters is snuggled up with him for a good story. And we get all of this for free.