Boost Reading for Pleasure During the Summer Holidays!
The long-awaited summer holidays are almost here, bringing with them a chance for children to relax and enjoy themselves.
This makes resources that boost a love of reading more crucial than ever. Recent statistics from the National Literacy Trust’s 2025 Annual Literacy Survey show a concerning trend in the UK: just 1 in 3 (32.7%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2025, the lowest level recorded in 20 years.
Furthermore, only 1 in 5 (18.7%) 8- to 18-year-olds read something daily in their free time, also the lowest level since the survey began in 2005.
That’s why we’re thrilled to announce that BooksForTopics Summer Reading Bingo is back for 2025! This initiative is designed to keep children engaged with reading for pleasure while they’re away from the classroom.
With fun, flexible challenges that encourage reading in all sorts of creative ways, we’ve developed this summer reading bingo as a tool to help boost reading for pleasure. The emphasis in this fun and encouraging challenge is on reading experiences rather than specific word counts or text types – making it ideal for readers of all levels and interests to join in with! And who knows, readers might discover new ways that they enjoy reading even more, perhaps up a tree, by torchlight or reading to a pet – or even upside down?!
Plus, to inspire those summer holiday children’s books reading choices, we’ve got downloadable summer read sheets for every age and interest. Get ready to make reading an adventure this summer!
Summer Reading Bingo
The BooksForTopics Summer Reading Bingo challenge is designed to be flexible and fun, putting the emphasis squarely on the experience of reading rather than specific titles or word totals. Children receive a bingo card, with options for different levels of challenge (the sheets have 9 or 25 squares and players can go for a line or a full house), featuring a variety of engaging reading activities. These might include “read in a den,” “read to a pet or a soft toy,” “read before breakfast,” or “read outdoors.”
The beauty of the bingo is that children can choose any books, graphic novels, magazines or even online material they wish, maintaining a sense of ownership over their reading journey. This approach encourages children to explore different ways to enjoy stories and discover their own unique reading preferences, ultimately making reading an appealing part of their summer break without pressure.
Pupils can even complete the challenge in tandem with The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge, which should be running via your local library.
This keeps things interesting and encourages students to explore different ways to enjoy reading as well as to discover more about their identities as readers.
How to Run Your Bingo Challenge
Teachers can print out the bingo cards for pupils to take home over the summer holidays, or the cards can be shared online and printed by parents at home as a fun reading challenge.
There are two levels of difficulty to choose from – 9 squares or 25 squares. Children and adults participating in the challenge can fill in the squares over the holidays as they complete each reading experience challenge.
When pupils return to school after the holidays, they may be awarded prizes, house points or certificates for a completed line or a full house! Return to our website to find the official printable pupil certificates and remember to celebrate children’s summer reading.
Don’t forget – teachers can join the challenge too!
Top Reads for Summer 2025
Complementing the engaging Bingo challenge, BooksForTopics also provides a set of 2025 Summer Read booklists.
These carefully curated summer reading lists are an invaluable resource for children, parents and teachers seeking book recommendations for the summer holidays. The lists are categorised by age group, starting from Ages 3-5, then Ages 5-7, Ages 7-9, and Ages 9-11.
This summer’s selection includes diverse themes like adventurous getaways, creatures of the deep, treasure quests, seashore escapades and plenty of exploration of the great outdoors. For ages 3-5, picture books like The Wild Robot on the Island offer gentle adventures, while Danny McGee Drinks the Sea provides silly, rhyming fun. Moving to ages 5-7, KS1 readers can explore nature with The Shark Book or delve into fantasy with Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion. For ages 7-9, introduce the thrilling The Lost Book of Undersea Adventure or Pia’s Pet Club: Puppy Problem. Finally, ages 9-11 can enjoy summer chapter books like Mayowa and the Sea of Words or Frank Cottrell Boyce’s humorous and cinematic story The Blockbusters!.
These recommendations aim to guide children towards books they’ll truly enjoy, although remember that they can partake in the summer reading bingo with any reading materials they choose.
A Summer Reading for Pleasure Boost
Taking part in the BooksForTopics Summer Reading Bingo isn’t just about ticking boxes; it’s about helping children find ways to love to read. Imagine your pupils nestled in a homemade fort with a gripping adventure, or giggling as they read aloud to their favourite teddy. Our Bingo turns reading into a creative game, gently encouraging children to explore all sorts of books and places to read, building their confidence along the way.
By widening children’s experiences of how, when and where they can read, the hope is to reinvigorate enjoyment in reading for pleasure over the holidays.
When pupils return to class in September, they will hopefully be happy to share their book recommendations and their most enjoyed reading experiences as well as receive certificates to celebrate their summer reading adventures.
Download Your Bingo Cards
Head to the BooksForTopics website to download your free Summer Reading Bingo cards for your class and explore their recommended reads list. You could even hand them out on transition day as a new class challenge for the summer.
Don’t forget to share your experiences with BooksForTopics on social media using #SummerReadingBingo and tagging @booksfortopics! We’d love to hear how pupils – and teachers – are getting stuck in.