📚 Happy Summer! Hickory Ridge Reading Rocks starts TODAY!

Posted Date: 06/01/26 (09:00 AM)

Dear Families,

Happy Summer! We hope you and your family are enjoying the sunshine, relaxing, and settling into a wonderful summer break.

Today, June 1st, marks the official kickoff of our Hickory Ridge Elementary Reading Rocks 2026 program! We are so excited to challenge our students to keep their minds sharp and stay active over the break.

Below you will find the complete details and schedule for the school program, followed by several wonderful free community reading rewards programs you can take advantage of this summer.

Hickory Ridge Elementary: Reading Rocks 2026 Game Board

Hickory Ridge Elementary Reading Rocks 2026 summer reading game board tracking weeks 1 through 9. Full schedule, reading goals, and activity goals are detailed in the main text below.

The Reading Rocks program runs from Monday, June 1st to Friday, July 31st. Each week, students are challenged to meet a grade-level reading goal and stay active by completing a weekly activity goal.

Instructions: Meet your goals each week, have an adult initial your progress on your game card, and return the completed card to the Media Center by Friday, August 21st to claim your prize!

Weekly Reading Goals (By Grade Level)

1st Grade: 15 minutes a day
2nd Grade: 20 minutes a day
3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade: 30 minutes a day

Weekly Schedule & Activity Goals

Week 1 (June 1 – June 5): Ride a bike or scooter, or take a walk.
Week 2 (June 8 – June 12): Play Tag.
Week 3 (June 15 – June 19): Build a blanket fort.
Week 4 (June 22 – June 26): Family Movie Night.
Week 5 (June 29 – July 3): Go for a family hike or walk outside.
Week 6 (July 6 – July 10): Electronics-Free Night!
Week 7 (July 13 – July 17): Play a card game like Go Fish or Uno.
Week 8 (July 20 – July 24): Visit a local park.
Week 9 (July 27 – July 31): Try something new!

Additional Summer Reading Opportunities 2026

Flyer outlining 2026 summer reading programs for Cabarrus County Public Library, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Camp Book It. Full details are listed in the main text below.

In addition to our school program, here are some fantastic, free community initiatives offering fun prizes and free books:

1. Cabarrus County Public Library Summer Reading Program

How it works: Track your reading and participate in challenges using the free Beanstack app (available via mobile devices or web browser).
App Features: Scan barcodes to add titles, track total minutes read with timed sessions, and view reading statistics.
Prizes: Log a set number of hours to reach the halfway point and win a prize. To win a second prize, either read the same number of hours again, OR read three more hours and complete three activities.
How to join: Visit a Cabarrus County library branch to get or update your library card. Then, sign up at cabarruscounty.beanstack.com/reader365. Reading logs are available at all five branches or online.

2. Barnes & Noble Summer Reading

Reward: Earn a free book.
Requirements: Read any 8 books this summer and record them in the printable summer reading journal found on the Barnes & Noble website.

3. Books-A-Million Summer Reading

Reward: Earn a free prize.
Requirements: Choose 4 books from the Books-A-Million summer reading list, record them on your reading log, and turn the completed log into a Books-A-Million store.

4. Book It! (Camp BOOK IT!)

Program Dates: June – August.
Eligibility: Open to all families with PreK through 6th-grade students (ages 4–12).
How it works: Parents set goals, track reading, and reward students digitally through a parent dashboard.

Happy reading, and have a wonderful summer!