SUMMER READING

Gearing up for Summer Reading? We’ve got ideas to help you make this your best program yet. Below, discover engaging and entertaining ideas to spotlight whatever theme you choose, as well as our top movie picks to enhance your events all summer long.

A simple activity like DIY friendship bracelets is an easy, multigenerational craft. You can add in a STEM component by making binary code versions, or, for adults, teach the kumihimo knotting technique. Patrons not interested in jewelry? Invite them to craft bookmarks or backpack dangles instead. While their hands are busy crafting trinkets, keep them entertained by playing friendship-themed trivia. Ask questions surrounding top pop culture besties or finish the quote about friendship. Or, consider providing lists of fun questions people can ask others while they craft in order to spark interesting conversations and possibly new friendships! You can cap off your event by showing one of the friendship goal films below.

A simple Kindness Bingo handout sheet can have a rippling effect in your community. Include tasks like “do a chore that normally isn’t your responsibility,” “give a compliment,” “read a book to someone younger,” “give a thank you note to a mail carrier,” or “pick up litter.” Give everyone time to get a Bingo then award them all with a screening of a popular film!

Ensure programming for even your tiniest patrons is inclusive and diverse by including multilanguage storytime sessions on your calendar. Take a look at your community and neighborhood demographics to discover which languages you include. And consider making them bilingual to advance both native language and second-language learning. And make sure all your storytime sessions are accessible to english language learners by using familiar songs or rhymes, lots of facial expression, visual prompts and puppets.

Create community bonds across generations by hosting a Senior Storytelling Outreach event. Have children read books to grandparents, relatives or nursing home members. Then, have the adult read or tell a personal story to the child in exchange. Cap off your event with a movie that spotlights multigenerational friendships or the importance of family.

Create a Teen Advocacy group so teens can identify and discuss issues within their community, and how they can raise awareness and make a positive change this summer. They can either do their own initiatives, or partner with your library’s’ existing ones to make more of an impact. Ideas include a summer food and clothing drive, care kits for homeless persons, or big “sibling” mentorship programs. Be sure to celebrate all their success at the end of the summer with a party featuring great food a great movie screening.

Help teens – and really anyone in your community – feel more understood by inviting them to create Field Guides about themselves. This programming could easily be a passive activity or something you work on little by little each week. To help patrons create their Field Guide, share prompts or specific asks, like make a graph showcasing how you spend your time, list your top 10 favorite songs, record 10 observations from your day, draw a portrait of your pet, and predict what your life will look like in five years.