Celebrate National Read a Book Day

September 6 is National Read a Book Day, though in my household I think that’s every day! And indeed this is a holiday that everyone can celebrate, at home or in the classroom. Here are a few ideas for celebrating reading today and every day.

Make a reading nook: in your home or classroom, having a little nest or special place for reading can be a lot of fun. It needs good light, a comfy place to sit or lie down, a shelf or table where you can put snacks and drinks (at home at least; a shelf might make more sense in a classroom) and a good stash of notebooks, writing utensils and bookmarks.

Print some bookmarks: speaking of bookmarks, it might be time to refresh your supply of bookmarks. I’ve done a few posts about printable bookmarks (for example, here and here) that last bunch is all coloring bookmarks, which is great to add another activity to your reading day festivities. If you’re making bookmarks for the home you can search for bookmarks on a theme, such as robots or ice cream or mandalas, which can be fun for all ages to have their own bookmarks they color themselves.

Book bingo: Maybe now is the time to start a reading challenge or filling out a book bingo card. There are tons of different options for kids and adults, or you can make your own based on ideas from your classroom or family. Some things to include might be different kinds of books to read (chapter books, graphic novels, audiobooks, etc.) or places to read (outside, in bed, at a restaurant, and so on). If you want a printable reading bingo card to use, check out this one from Childhood 101, or this summer reading bingo printable from Imagination Soup.

How do you celebrate reading every day? I’d love to hear about it!

[Image by StockSnap from Pixabay]

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Elf on the Shelf Ideas for the Classroom

A lot of kids aren’t in school for the Fourth of July, but whether you’re in a classroom or at home, you’ll probably want to mark July 4, 2026, in a special way because it is America’s 250th birthday. And there are lots of ways to learn and celebrate, as we’ll see below.

The Homeschool Bee has a big bundle of resources for the big day, including timelines, information about the founding fathers, silly word fill ins, pages showing the evolution of the American flag and information on constitutional amendments. In all it is 35 pages and it’s great for a variety of ages. You can find it on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Another printable activity set, this one aimed at grades 2-5, is available on TpT from George Kipriot Classroom Resources. This one includes a word search, crossword puzzle, maze, word scramble, coloring pages and more, plus a timeline and reading about the Declaration of Independence.

It wouldn’t be a birthday party without party hats, and there are a few different versions of print, color and cut party hats with a patriotic theme at Teachers Pay Teachers. The Internet Research Project has a set with an Uncle Sam kind of hat, a crown with the Statue of Liberty on it and one that says America 250.

There’s also a Happy Birthday America hat from Sweet Sensations, which features the years, fireworks and the Statue of Liberty and declaration of Independence.

You can find a lot of Fourth of July coloring pages with a 250th birthday theme. For example Britts Digital Paper Co on Etsy has some cute pages, including a patriotic goose reading a book for some reason (I also like their printable firework craft). eParenting also has an America 250 coloring page that includes the shape of the country and an American flag.

And if you want to try some more general Fourth of July projects, check out this collection of patriotic STEM activities from Homeschool Giveaways. Make your own “fireworks,” sensory activities, make a fizzy flag, build a graham cracker White House and more.

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Have you read?

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