Reading Incentive Programs

I was recently talking with my child's teacher about reading programs. The school use to use a program called Accelerated Reading or AR for short. Many of the schools in Utah used this program. The my son attends just recently stopped using this program because it was costing too much to run. They felt the money they were spending on AR could be more productively spent elsewhere. I still wanted to reward my son for reading. I have discovered he, like most children, works well if there is a carrot attached to the workload. I want him to develop a love of reading and hopefully he will begin to read just because it's fun and not for the reward but we have to start somewhere and right now this is where we are at.



First some advice about using rewards. Using rewards (ok let's just call it what it is bribes) for accomplishing something can be a great way to get kids to do things. It's difficult to make sure they aren't doing it just for the reward. In our family there are things that you have to do just because you live here, then there are the above and beyond things that will get you a reward. Rewards range from a treat from the treat bucket, praise, high 5's to a special date with mommy or daddy. I don't usually give rewards every time and I change it up so they don't always expect the same thing unless we have some sort of deal. I also talk to my kids to help them realize how they feel about what they have done and hope that someday that will be the reward, not the treat they are getting.

I also believe in not nagging my kids when there is a reward for what they are doing. I believe the reward should be enough and if they don't complete the task in time they don't get reward. I will remind them a few times but if they chose not to do it they get the consequence of no reward. It is there choice because rewards are something they CAN earn but don't have to.

Reading falls under the "some sort of deal" category. My kids are young and are beginning readers. Right now they don't enjoy reading on their own because they have to sit but if I pick up a book they come running. We are still working on developing a love of reading. Our goal is to read at least 10-20 minutes a day. Some days this happens, some days it doesn't.

 I wanted to look up some programs that will make reading a little more enticing to my beginning readers. Programs that can add a little spice to our reading. All of the programs I found are FREE. That's a price I love. Teachers can sign up their whole classrooms or parents can sign up their families for most of these programs. A teacher can only sign up their class for the program offered by Scholastic.

1. Reading-Rewards.com - This site is a site where you set up the reward for your child. You can pick to reward for reading so many minutes or so many books. The site recommends starting small like 10 minutes free computer time for 50 minutes of reading so they get the reward quickly and see how much fun it is to read and get the reward. Then work to something big like "A Daddy Date of your choice - 500 reading minutes." This site reminds me of the Free Job Chart site I wrote about a while ago.

Here's the video tutorial on how to use Reading-Rewards

2. Book Adventures - This site is run by Sylvan Learning. This site has quizzes that your child can take for FREE on the books they are reading. They  do have a few prizes that your child can earn using the points they receive for taking quizes. The site says they have nearly 8,000 book quizzes on Book Adventure. You can search for the book your child is reading or for a book they want to read to see if they have a quiz available. If they don't you can create a quiz for the book your child just read. They can only take each quiz a maximum of two times and 90% to get the points. If they are taking a Pre-K-2nd grade leveled book they will have to have a perfect score to get the points because those quizzes only have 5 questions. Books leveled at 3rd grade and up have 10 questions so they can miss one question and still get the points for that book.


3. Pizza Hut Book It!  - This program offers kids  certificate for a free personal size pizza. To participate in this program you must sign up May 1, 2013.

4. Chuck E. Cheese - Your child can earn 10 free tokens for each calendar chart they complete.

5. Barnes & Noble Summer Reading -  This Summer program begins on May 22. Your child must read any 8 books and record them in the Reading Journal they provide on their site. Take that journal to the store and they get to choose a free book from the selection of books on the reading journal list at the store.


6. Scholastic Summer Challenge - Your teacher might have to sign your child up for this program. I don't see a place for parents to sign up their own children. Pre-registration begins April 8, 2013 and the Challenge begins May 6, 2013. Kids can earn prizes for reading. I can't sign my kids up so I can't see too many more details on this site.


7. Six Flags - To participate in this program you must have signed up by March 1, 2013 and read a minimum of 6 hours before March 8, 2013 (Reading Logs must be post marked my March 8, 2013). If you do this your child will earn a free ticket to Six Flags. You can sign up as a Public/Private School or a Home School

Here are the Public and Private School Rules

Are you the Read to Succeed Coordinator for Your School Name Here?

Since you are from a traditional school and you don't have any students, we have to assume you are here as the official Read to Succeed Coordinator for Your School Name Here. We thank you for your service! Although we will provide you with more details later, here are a few details about what you're signing up for:

• As coordinator, you will receive and distribute all of the tickets for Your School Name Here. We will only send the tickets directly to you.
• You will receive a notice whenever someone from your school signs up to participate in Read to Succeed.
• You may sign up teachers at your school for Read to Succeed.
• You will have access to all of the accounts for all of the teachers at your school.
• You may, if you choose, enter the reading hours on behalf of your teachers. Or you can have the teachers do it themselves. That's up to you.
• You will be responsible for mailing in all of the school's reading logs.
• You will receive a free ticket to Six Flags for your service.

Those are the highlights. Confirm your interest in the role of Read to Succeed Coordinator and we'll give your more information about your role.

Please read and acknowledge the following:

I am ready to assume the role of Read to Succeed Coordinator.

Here are the Home School Rules

All home schools must register as home schools -- not as 'traditional schools.'

I understand that each household may only submit one registration. Multiple registrations from people living the same household is absolutely prohibited.

Only one adult in each household may receive a teacher ticket.

Home schooling collectives should file separate registrations for each household that participates in the collective. The only students who should be included in any one registration should be members of the same household.

I understand that failure to follow any of these rules will result in immediate permanent suspension from the Six Flags Read to Succeed program.

I understand that my tickets will be delivered electronically by email. Remember the ultimate goal is to help kids discover reading is fun. I just read an article (A Closer Look at Reading Incentive Programs) saying that incentive programs are not the best way to help kids achieve this goal. I believe if you talk about it and don't reward all the time it can work. The best way for your kids to develop a love of reading is for them to see that you love reading. YOU, the parents, are the ultimate example. I truly believe that what your kids see you doing and what they see is important to you will be important to them too. Let them see you reading, discuss what you are reading together, and maybe even read the same book and have your own little "Book Club" discussion about it. Use the rewards programs as the spice. A meal with too many spices isn't good. A meal with just the right amount of spice is perfect. Make reading the meal and the rewards the spice.