Long before I discovered that Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! program still exists (no kidding; they’re still around, yay!), I created my own “Mommy Reading Program.” I should probably come up with a cooler name now that I’m publishing it on the blog haha… Anyhow, I remembered how much I loved doing BOOK IT! as a kid and decided that I could do something similar to motivate my kiddo to read. So, I created some charts, explained the goal, and now after she reads 30 books (or chapters), I take her for an ice cream treat. I’m happy to say that it’s been a success and my daughter loves it.
Since it was such a hit, I thought I’d share with other moms who might be looking for something to help get their kids into reading. Below you can download the charts to print off and use, as well as a certificate, and reward coupons for extra positive reinforcement. I personally went with ice cream as the reward simply because it’s my daughter’s favorite treat. You can truly use anything you like for the prize once the goal is reached as long as it’s a bit of a novelty (using something they get any time isn’t a great motivator). It could be a trip to their favorite park, a Hot Wheels car, lunch at a restaurant of their choice, etc. I should also mention that you don’t have to use stickers either. You can simply draw a smiley face or a star in the box. Initially, we used stickers from the Dollar Tree because my daughter was younger and liked to perform the ceremonial sticker selection and placement on her chart for each book. Sometimes the littlest things make such a big difference.
At any rate, I hope you find this helpful. If you’re in need of some book ideas, please feel free to visit my Kiddo Corner page where I have links to my Goodreads “kiddo bookshelves” that might be useful in finding your next favorite book.
Happy reading! 🙂
Simply click this link, download, and print as needed. Each time your child reads a book (or a chapter) give them a sticker or a mark of some kind in a box. Once they fill up the chart, treat them with ice cream or something that you think they’ll like. Then start over. 🙂
*Please note that the materials shared in this post are for personal, non-commercial use.
