Go for a walk and look for letters of the alphabet all around you! For example, two branches on the ground might form the letter T. The goal is to find the letters without having to move items around to create the letter. Mark off each letter as you find it!

Learn about animals by acting them out through simple yoga poses for kids. Follow the animal yoga sequence below or make up your own yoga journey!

We are going on a camping trip, but first we need to pack! Below are the definitions for 18 items you should bring camping. Enter a correct answer for each one to complete.

Find all of the following items in your home.

Do something nice and show kindness to others! These activities are great ways to show your generosity and find your voice.  Complete at least 12 of the following 18 optional challenges to earn bonus points.

Get your little ones to expand their horizons. This can be accomplished by trying something new or seeing things in a different light. Teach your little ones that you don’t have to travel far to explore new things—wonderment can be found everywhere!

Do you love animals? Guess what animal each tail belongs to! 

*Need a hint? Try one of these! Alligator, beaver, chameleon, elephant, giraffe, lemur, pig, tiger, whale, zebra.

Complete any 10 of these 19 outdoor activities to earn your badge and 100 points.

Playing missions.  Complete at least 7 of the 10 activities to earn points.

Complete any 9 out of 12 reading activities from this list to get bonus points towards finishing the game.

Reading missions.  Complete all 5 activities to earn points.

Go beyond just reading this summer!  Mix up how or where you read, or maybe what you do after reading a book.

Challenge yourself to complete at least five tasks from the list below.  How many can you complete?  Finish at least 8 of these 11 challenges to earn points!

Time for some outdoor fun! Walk around your city or town and see what you can find for each letter of the alphabet. Bring a camera or list and pencil to keep track of the items you find. We've included some examples, but what else can you find? Good luck!

Let's work together! Complete at least 5 of the 8 activities below with your little one to earn bonus points.

Singing missions.  Complete at least 5 of the 6 activities to earn points.

A variety of challenges to do at home and around town.  Do at least 8 of them to complete the mission.

Complete the summer reading game survey to receive 100 points and a free book!  Children should answer questions themselves wherever possible, but younger ones may need help understanding or answering some of the questions, so please help interpret and answer for them as appropriate.

This is important information we collect for the state along with our participation statistics that ensures continued funding for summer reading.  While not required to complete the game, we very much appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey.  If you would rather complete a paper copy, please visit the library in person and we will complete this mission for you manually.  All answers will remain anonymous and only reported in aggregate.

This mission cannot be completed until after July 12th so that children will actually have time to participate in the summer reading game before evaluating how they felt about it.

Talking missions.  Complete at least 5 of the 6 activities to earn points.

Writing missions.  Complete at least 7 of the 8 activities to earn points.

Reading together develops vocabulary and comprehension, nurtures a love for reading, and motivates children to want to learn to read. Shared reading (interactive reading) is an important way to help children get ready to read. Reading with children will show how books and written language work and that stories have a beginning, middle and end.

Singing emphasizes many early literacy practices, and it contributes to oral language development by slowing down language and making it easier for children to hear the words. Singing is also a great way to increase children’s vocabulary as children’s songs and nursery rhymes include many new and uncommon words. Songs are a natural, fun way for children to learn language. When children sing, they hear different parts of words, pay attention to the rhythms and rhymes of language, and develop listening skills.

Talking with children helps them learn oral language, one of the most critical early literacy skills. Children learn about language by listening to parents and caregivers talk and joining in the conversation. Talking in a way that encourages children to talk will help them understand what they later read. When children listen to spoken words they learn: how letters and words sound, the meaning of words, how words can be put together to communicate ideas, information and feelings.

Just like reading, writing teaches children that print has meaning, letters represent sounds, and written words represent the oral words they use every day. Scribbling and writing help children learn that written words stand for spoken language. For children, writing: begins with developing small finger muscles which will build dexterity for scribbling, then drawing, and eventually writing letters, helps develop hand-eye coordination, and helps build awareness that print has meaning.

Play is an essential part of childhood and is one of the best ways to learn language and literacy skills. As children engage in many types of play and across many scenarios, they talk with a wide variety of adults and peers, therefore developing their oral language, narrative skills, and vocabulary. When children play, they: develop narrative skills through imaginary play, act out real situations, learn communication, cooperation, construction and much more!