How to Run a Reading Challenge That Builds Joy, Not Point-Chasing

A reading challenge can be the thing that gets a class talking about books in the hallway, or it can turn reading into a chore with a scoreboard. The difference is almost entirely in the design. The advice below is editorial: it reflects common practice among teachers and librarians and our own view of what keeps reading pleasurable. It is not a summary of research, and every group of readers is different.

Start with the goal, not the prize

Before you print a single tracker, finish this sentence: “At the end of this challenge, I hope my readers will…”

Good answers sound like:

• …have tried a kind of book they’ve never read before.
• …know three new authors they like.
• …talk to each other about books without being asked.
• …read at home most days because they want to.

Answers that lead to trouble sound like:

• …read the most pages.
• …log 100 books.
• …earn the pizza party.

Volume goals aren’t wrong, but when volume is the only goal, children quickly learn to pick the shortest books, skim, or inflate their logs. Variety, discovery and talk are harder to game and closer to what we actually want.

Choose a challenge shape

Bingo or “menu” boards

A grid of reading experiences (“a book with a map,” “a book someone recommended to you,” “a book in verse,” “a graphic novel,” “a true story about a scientist”). Readers choose which squares to fill and in what order. This builds variety without dictating titles.

Shared-goal challenges

The whole class or library works toward one collective number or goal, such as “Together we’ll read a book from every continent.” No individual is ranked, and every contribution counts.

Genre or format passports

Readers collect a “stamp” for each genre or format they try. Emphasize trying, not finishing: a stamp can be earned for a fair attempt of a set number of pages.

Time-based challenges

“Read for 20 minutes on 15 days this month.” Time goals are more equitable than book or page counts, because a slow reader, a reader of long novels, and a reader of picture books all start on equal footing.

Family challenges

Prompts that invite shared reading: “Read a book aloud to someone younger,” “Ask a grown-up about a book they loved as a kid,” “Read outside.” Our guide to family reading routines has more ideas for the home side.

Build in choice at every level

Choice is the ingredient most likely to make a challenge feel like an invitation rather than an assignment.

• Choice of books. Avoid required title lists. If you want to nudge, offer a menu of three or four options per square.
• Choice of squares or goals. Let readers skip a category that doesn’t interest them, or swap one square for a “wild card.”
• Choice of response. If you ask for a response at all, let readers choose: a one-line review, a sketch, a recommendation card, a 30-second book talk, or nothing.
• Choice to abandon. State plainly that putting a book down is allowed. Count the attempt.

Track without inflating rewards

Tracking is useful. It helps readers see their own patterns and helps you see who needs a nudge. The trouble starts when every entry earns a prize, and the prize becomes the point.

Practical guardrails:

• Keep trackers simple. Title, date, and one optional word (“loved,” “okay,” “not for me”).
• Don’t rank individuals publicly. Leaderboards reward the readers who were already thriving and discourage everyone else.
• Make recognition about books, not totals. Instead of “Maya read 30 books,” try “Maya found three new series this month. Ask her what to read next.”
• Use small, book-centered celebrations. A new book to keep, choosing the next class read-aloud, a book talk slot, extra free-reading time.
• Avoid food and toys as payment per book. If a challenge ends with a party, make it for everyone who participated in any way.
• Don’t require parent signatures for every entry. Not every family can do this, and it shifts the burden onto children whose home lives are already harder.

If you want to make claims to families or administrators about rewards and motivation, look for published research and cite it. Otherwise, frame these as your professional judgment.

Design for every reader

A challenge that only some children can win is not a reading challenge. It’s a sorting exercise.

Audiobooks count

In our editorial view, listening to a book is a full way of experiencing the story. It also opens long or complex books to readers who are still building decoding skills. The American Library Association recognizes audiobooks with their own honor: ALSC co-administers the Odyssey Award for the best audiobook for young listeners. Say explicitly on your tracker that audiobooks count.

Rereading counts

Children reread favorites for good reasons: comfort, mastery, noticing new things. A challenge that forbids rereading tells children their instincts are wrong. Consider a square that requires a reread: “Reread a book you loved when you were younger. What do you notice now?”

Read-alouds count

Books read aloud by a teacher, librarian, parent or older sibling should count, for every age. A kindergartner’s tracker might be mostly read-alouds, and that’s exactly right.

Picture books and graphic novels count

Don’t create “levels” of credit where a novel counts more than a picture book. Picture books like Dreamers or Planting Stories can be rich enough for a fifth grader, and graphic memoirs such as El Deafo and Smile are full reading experiences. See our guide to graphic novels for kids.

Other languages count

Books in a home language, or bilingual books, count fully. Our guide on reading in bilingual families has more on this.

Access is part of design

• Make sure books are available. Pair the challenge with library visits and classroom lending; see using your public library.
• Offer in-school reading time so that a reader without quiet time at home can still participate.
• Provide large-print, audio or digital options for readers who need them.
• For readers with disabilities, adapt goals individually and privately, without changing what counts as “real reading.”

Sample bingo board (grades 2–5)

Use or adapt this 5×5 grid. Center square is free.

A book with an animal main character	A book told in verse	A true story about a real person	A book a friend recommended	A graphic novel
A book set in a city	An audiobook	A book by an author new to you	A book that made you laugh	A book with a map
A folktale or fairy tale	A book you reread	Free: any book	A book about a scientist or inventor	A book set somewhere you’ve never been
A book read aloud to you	A book with a female main character	A book in a series	A book about friendship	A poetry collection
A book from before your grandparents were born	A book in another language or bilingual	A book you picked by its cover	A book about a problem in the world	Read to someone else

Swap squares to fit your collection and community. For K–1, cut the grid to 3×3 and use pictures alongside words.

Some titles that fit several squares: The Crossover (verse), Frog and Toad Are Friends (friendship), Mercy Watson to the Rescue (funny, a bridge to chapter books), The Wild Robot (animal characters, nature and technology).

Make it social

The most lasting effect of a good challenge is often talk.

• Recommendation wall. Readers post a sticky note: title, one sentence, “for readers who like ___.”
• Book talks. Two or three 60-second talks at the start of the day.
• Partner check-ins. Once a week, pairs share what they’re reading and what’s next.
• Staff participation. Teachers, librarians, custodians and office staff post what they’re reading too.

Celebrate the right things

At the end, celebrate what the challenge was for.

• Variety: “Look at all the formats this class tried.”
• Discovery: Each reader names one new author or series they found.
• Community: A collective display of every book read, with no names attached to counts.
• Next steps: Each reader writes a “to read next” list to carry into the next month.

Avoid ending with a ranked list of top readers. If you give certificates, give them to every participant and make them specific (“Most adventurous reader,” “Best recommender,” “Bravest book abandoner”).

Plan it in an afternoon

1. Set the goal (one sentence).
2. Pick the shape (bingo, passport, time-based or shared goal).
3. Write inclusive rules (audiobooks, rereads, read-alouds, picture books and other languages all count).
4. Decide tracking (simple, private, optional responses).
5. Plan access (library time, in-class reading, book supply).
6. Plan celebrations (book-centered, everyone included).
7. Generate your materials. Our free reading challenge generator builds a printable challenge you can customize for your group.

For readers who are hesitant to begin with, a challenge can help or hurt depending on design. See helping reluctant readers and choosing just-right books before you launch. For a classic adult guide to building a reading culture through reading aloud, see The Read-Aloud Handbook.