The winter break is long enough for reading skills to slip, and cosy enough to make reading feel like a treat. This challenge gives kids 25 seasonal ideas and a free tracker to colour in.
How the challenge works
- Pick a tracker: snowflakes, Advent presents, Hanukkah’s eight nights or Kwanzaa’s seven days.
- Colour one in for every book (picture books, chapter books and audiobooks all count).
- Tick off as many ideas below as you can before school starts.
- Celebrate with a reading certificate.
25 winter reading ideas
- Read a book about snow.
- Read under a blanket fort.
- Read by torchlight on the longest night (the winter solstice).
- Read a book about penguins or polar bears.
- Read a Christmas story from another country.
- Learn about Hanukkah and read a book about it.
- Learn the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
- Read an Anansi story.
- Read a poem out loud to your family.
- Listen to an audiobook on a car journey.
- Read a classic: Heidi or Hans Brinker.
- Read to a grandparent (a video call counts).
- Read with a mug of cocoa.
- Read a book in another language.
- Read a funny book and share a winter joke.
- Read a book a friend recommends.
- Write a book review.
- Read the same book twice and notice something new.
- Read a non-fiction book about the Arctic.
- Do a winter word search.
- Read a play and act it out.
- Read 20 minutes every day for a week.
- Read a book set in a cold place.
- Pick a reading goal for the new year (see New Year reading).
- Choose the first book of January.
Grab the free reading log đź“š
A clean, print-ready log to track books, minutes, and little wins — plus the occasional reading tip. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Where to find the books
Everything is free in Pagine: winter stories, Christmas books, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa reading lists, and thousands more in the library.
Agree on a small reward before the break starts, such as choosing the next family film, so the finish line feels real.
Log every book of the challenge in the free Pagine app and earn streaks and badges.