Last Updated on December 8, 2023 by Louisa
You might have heard people talking about reading challenges a lot, especially after New Year and at the start of summer when we all suddenly decide it’s time to read more.
But what is a reading challenge? Put it simply, a reading challenge is a set of tasks that you should complete in a given time that encourages you to read. They can be anywhere from a month-long reading challenge, to an entire year or season.
The point of a reading challenge is to motivate and inspire you. They’re also great ways to create conversations with other book lovers and get you out of a reading slump.
What is a Reading Challenge?
A reading challenge is a series of challenges and tasks designed to encourage you to read more. They can be anywhere from a week-long reading challenge, where you have to do a reading task a day, to a month-long challenge, or even an entire year!
Reading challenges tend to have daily achievable tasks such as ‘read outside for 15 minutes’ or ‘read in the bath’. Sometimes the longer reading challenges that run for a month or more, will set tasks every other day to avoid you getting burned out.
The point is not to read a lot, but to read regularly. The tasks set out in a reading challenge are often fun and enjoyable, and take very minimal effort to include into your day-to-day life – this is so you feel motivated to complete your challenge.
Some reading challenges also encourage you to read with others. They might ask you to lend a book to a friend or share your thoughts on a book with your spouse.
Most reading challenges are supposed to be taken independently, as the challenge is personal to you. However, you can always challenge a friend or family member to make matters more interesting.
While reading challenges were first introduced for children, they have become increasingly popular for adults too. Many libraries, school institutions and organizations run reading challenges throughout the years as promotion for books.
The Reading Agency has a popular summer reading challenge each year which is designed to encourage kids to read before they return to school.
Why should you do a Reading Challenge?
Traditionally, reading challenges were created for children to enhance their reading abilities and also boost their love of reading. But nowadays they are becoming popular among adults, too.
For adults, reading challenges are a great way to get out of a reading slump. They also give you a sense of achievement and a goal to work towards, which is especially important when you suffering from low mood or lack of motivation.
The act of reading has many health benefits: it reduces stress, helps keep your brain sharp, and also helps you to learn more.
There are many benefits to doing a reading challenge, here are just a few:
- You will become a more interesting person. The more you read, the more you learn. You may learn some interesting facts that may serve you well in a pub quiz or you may become wiser and socially aware. It all depends on what books you read.
- You’ll be open to new experiences. You might not be a fan of romance books or fantasy books, but if you’re reading challenge suggests a new genre, then you might discover a new genre or author that you like.
- It takes away the anxiety of reading. We know we said earlier that reading relieves stress, but there are some anxieties around reading too. For example, we all have a reading list that gets added to more often than it gets ticked off. We can be overwhelmed by choices and not know which to start reading first. A reading challenge helps take the stress of choosing a book away.
- It opens conversations. You can do your reading challenge alone or with a friend or book club; however, you do your reading challenge. it gives you something to talk about.
What to Look For in a Reading Challenge
The first thing you need is to find a challenge that appeals to you. Think about how long you want your challenge to run, are you going for the month of September or for the full winter?
Decide the length of the challenge and then look for challenges that meet that time frame.
You should then look at some of the tasks given and see whether they seem attainable. Is a reading challenge asking you to read a new book every day, or every week?
While you might have the time for that, do you have the funds? Or perhaps it’s asking you to read using a Kindle Unlimited Subscription which you don’t have. Is a Kindle Unlimited Subscription worth the investment to do a reading challenge?
Look at the tasks, are they something you can complete in 5 minutes or an hour? You might not have an hour a day to spare, so think about whether each task is achievable each day.
Can you adapt to the challenge? You might not have an hour on Monday, but maybe you do on Sunday. See if it gives you the opportunity to move tasks around to fit your schedule.
A good reading challenge should easily fit into your day-to-day life. It shouldn’t be added stress, it should be fun, so do bare this in mind when picking a challenge.
What Are Some Fun Reading Challenge Ideas
One of the best ways to find a reading challenge is to head to Pinterest, where you’ll find many great examples. If you’re looking for challenges for kids, you can also find some on TeachersPayTeachers – which is a platform where educators can share their own materials with other teachers.
Here are some recommended reading challenges:
- September Reading Challenge
- 30 Day Reading Challenge
- 50 States Reading Challenge (3+ Books For Every State, Over 250 total!)
Final Word on Reading Challenges
Now you know what is a reading challenge and how to pick a good one, all that’s left to say is we hope that you manage to find one that speaks to you!
If you have found a reading challenge that’s really interesting to you, do let us know in the comments so you can help grow the society!
