Summer Reading Incentives: The Benefits of Beads

This summer, the primary incentive for kids in Pre-K to grade 6 were small pieces of plastic in all the colors of the rainbow.  I'm talking about beads.

Addition: Since its inception, I have since renamed this program "Read and Bead."  Take a peek at the Read and Bead landing page for more information including research, a webinar, and an FAQ.

I haven't lost it after years of librarians trying to find incentives that actually work without spending the entire budget and without crushing the joy of reading by making it a competition or making it feel like the only point is working towards an end goal.  Beads really worked for our Library at minimal cost and with great results.

Many Librarians have gone prizeless with success in the past (and no "meltdowns" from caregivers or kids).  Some examples include Tiny Tips for Library Fun, Abby the Librarian, Hafuboti, and Library Bonanza (thank you for the inspiration!).  I wanted to be one of the cool kids and save the environment and parents' poor feet from terrible plastic chotchkies and also be kind to our Library budget.  It can be done and you can do it too!

Brag Tag designs and some of the available bead levels.
Our Brag Tags came from SchoolLife!

The Idea: Born

I first got this idea from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  This homeschooling blogger set up a system for their kids (ages 5, 7, and 8) to receive beads for every 20 minutes of reading and exchanging 10 beads for an extra Brag Tag to decorate chains with reading chains.  This household then became avid readers and were very enthusiastic about earning beads.  The blog entry ended in great pictures of kids reading!

The Idea: Progress

The next part of the concept came from First Grade Magic.  This teacher had three different types of beads for her students to earn based on the types of reading accomplishment they met: getting 100% on an AR test, reading a non-fiction book, or reading a chapter book.  At the end of the month, they could create their necklaces.

The Idea: Development

I combined these methods and created our own.  Kids in Pre-K to grade 6 could sign up and would immediately get to pick either a necklace or key chain to decorate and a Brag Tag (one of four designs) to start their chain.  Kids were psyched to pick their design!  We also had such a variety that everyone was happy with the selections available.

Next, kids would read.  Each type of bead was worth a certain number of minutes: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, or 4 hours.

I figured if this had worked for 3 kids and for 30 kids, why not 300?!

From Idea to Reality

Selecting beads and tag designs was the hardest part (really!).  There were so many possibilities that it was a little overwhelming, but we eventually went with a good variety that allowed everyone to be happy with their selection.

The chains and Brag Tags came from SchoolLife.*  They have hundreds of designs, which you can even personalize and then proceed to make you own.  We elected to have "Pembroke Public Library" printed on the bottom of each tag.

Design of Tags & Chains:  

The Brag Tags are basically plastic dog tags.  They are very sturdy, can get wet without being destroyed, and the colors really pop!

The chains are traditional ball chains.  These are a bit more delicate; they hold up well under normal wear and tear, but we did have a few break over the summer.

Necklaces were much more popular than keychains.  We had to order extra necklaces part way through the summer (and then went ahead and ordered plenty of extra supplies for next summer, too).  The key chains were nice for the slightly older kids who wanted to put them on their bags.

We bought a SnapWare* container to hold the Tags, chains, and beads.

Beads: 

There were 5 "levels" of beads kids could earn:

• 15 minutes = Solid color beads
• 30 minutes  = Sparkly beads
• 1 hour = Shiny beads
• 2 hours = Glow-in-the-Dark beads
• 4 hours = Shaped beads (sports balls and animals)

Participants could "level up" as the summer progressed.  So if they read for 30 minutes one day and picked up a sparkly bead, then read for 30 minutes the next day, they could exchange all of those minutes for one shiny bead (turning in their original sparkly bead).

The way kids designed their necklaces was very unique!  One girl worked towards getting only pink and yellow beads in all levels, one boy wanted an entire chain of glow-in-the dark beads, and others had plenty of fun, amazing ideas for how their chains should look.

Results: Beads and Brag Tags in the Library!

We had a 24 percent increase in participation for Pre-K to grade 6 students.  With the cost of the supplies and the increase in kids, we averaged spending about $0.53 per participant for this portion.

Kids wore their Brag Tags proudly around the Library.  Every event had kids with their necklaces.  This lead to (BONUS) other kids asking both in and out of the Library about the necklaces and beads.  Many more families would come in asking to participate, saying they had learned about the program from a friend.

Brag Tag spotted in the Library (small pictures, we know, but they're there!).

Grand Prizes

We still did have Grand Prizes and Weekly Raffles, as some of the staff was reluctant to "go all in" and be completely prizeless.  All of these, however, were covered entirely by generous community donations!  We did not spend a penny on these and the kids, while excited for them, cared much more about the beads!  Prize-wise, only 22 out of 372 kids got these big bundles, so the impact was much smaller.

High Five for All Libraries!

We did have separate programs for babies and toddlers as well as our teens for youth programming, but the beads and tags were the biggest project for the summer.

Babies and toddlers colored in bubbles on an activity sheet as they did early literacy activities at home or in the Library.  After doing a certain number, they could come in for a prize that would encourage motor development or storytelling (finger puppets, board books, etc.).

Teens had a “stepping stone” incentive.  After signing up, they could set a personal goal for the summer.  The requirement was a minimum of 7 hours (some stayed at 7 hours while many decided to challenge themselves).  Upon reaching the goal, teens won a pair of earbuds and a carrying case.  While we had 105 teens sign up, less than 30 reached their goal and got their earbuds.  We're still working on this part!

Overall, between all three levels for youth Summer Reading, we had a 59 percent increase in participation and a 25 percent increase in hours read.  We have theorized that the two numbers are so different due to the fact that less kids were embellishing the hours they read at home due to the decreased pressure and competition.  Who really knows, though?

If you made it through summer reading, no matter what you did, you deserve a high five!

Great job!

*I am not affiliated with these companies.  Please always use the products and sites that best suit your library!