2026 Summer Reading Program

1. Attend a Summer Reading Program event: Whether you're interested in storytime, dance parties, or crafts, we have something fun and free planned for you! Find an upcoming program at a neighborhood SDPL location or on the Events Calendar.
2. Plant a Seed: Teach children how plants grow and what they need to thrive by placing a seed in a jar with a damp paper towel so they can observe the seed life cycle firsthand. You can also make seed balls with native plant seeds to help green your backyard or community and visit one of SDPL’s 11 Seed Libraries to pick up free seeds to get started. Need more ideas? Click here to explore more plant activities.
3. Visit a Community Garden: Find a nearby community garden and take time to explore the plants and produce growing there while learning how food is cultivated locally. Invite children to engage their senses by feeling the soil, smelling the plants and observing the garden environment to build a deeper connection to the Earth and an understanding of where food comes from. Discover local community gardens.
4. Sensory Food Play: Set up a time outside your child’s typical mealtime. Gather foods you would like your child to learn about and encourage to eat one day. Select a variety of food in different colors, shapes, sizes and textures. Play along with your child and help them make funny faces or animals out of their food, after, enjoy your snack together. Click here for sensory food play ideas!
5. Be an Earth Buddy: Teach your children how to care for Mother Earth by talking about it with them, going outside regularly to appreciate nature and wildlife, encouraging their interests, teaching them good conservation habits like recycling/composting, or by picking up trash in outdoor spaces together. View more earth-friendly tips.
6. Make Nature Art: Go on a short walk with your child in a backyard, neighborhood, or a local park or beach. Collect leaves that are similar in color, size or from the same type of plant. Mix them into a pile and turn your nature finds into a fun sorting game—have your child sort them by color, size, or type. Then, stick them onto clear contact paper or glue them onto construction paper to create a beautiful work of art. You can also use fruit and vegetable scraps to make art—dip the ends into tempera paint and stamp them onto paper to create fun patterns and pictures. Explore other nature craft ideas.
7. Go on a Foodie Scavenger Hunt: Take a trip to your local farmer’s market or grocery store and turning your visit into a fun learning game. Before you go, make a simple list of fruits and vegetables to look for, or use colors such as red, green and yellow as your guide. As you walk through the market or store, have your child search for each item, point to it, name it, and check it off the list. Take time to talk about each food, including its color, shape and where it might come from. Try to find at least 5–10 different fruits or vegetables before you finish your trip! Need tips to get started? Click here!
8. Play Fruits & Vegetables Bingo: Play a twist on the classic BINGO game as a fun way to encourage your children to learn about and try new fruits and vegetables. Over the course of a week, challenge them to taste different items—each time they try one, mark it off on their BINGO card. Aim for five in a row or complete the entire card! This is a fun way to explore new foods, build healthy eating habits and make mealtime more exciting. Download Fruits & Vegetables bingo cards.
9. Become a Wilderness Explorer: Help your child develop an appreciation and love of our diverse natural spaces in San Diego. Visit one of our many local parks, beaches or take a simple walk around your neighborhood and let them roam, play and explore. Enjoy everything nature has to offer right in your backyard and teach them about the wildlife and fauna you find! Try these native plant activities, while adventuring.
10. Make a Family Food Memory: Turn your kitchen into a mini adventure! Set aside time to cook together and let your child be the “chef of the day.” Help them pick a fun recipe, then jump in—washing, stirring, pouring, mixing, and decorating based on their age. Encourage taste-testing and trying something new along the way. Snap a few photos, share stories about your favorite family recipes or let your child invent their own name for the dish! When it’s time to eat, celebrate your creation together.

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1. Attend a Summer Reading Program event: SDPL has crafts, science shows, performances and other fun and free events! Find an upcoming program a neighborhood SDPL location or on the Events Calendar.
2. Plant a Seed: Teach children how plants grow and what they need to thrive by placing a seed in a jar with a damp paper towel so they can observe the seed life cycle firsthand. You can also make seed balls with native plant seeds to help green your backyard or community and visit one of SDPL’s 11 Seed Libraries to pick up free seeds to get started. Need more ideas? Click here to explore more plant activities.
3. Visit a Community Garden: Find a nearby community garden and take time to explore the plants and produce growing there while learning how food is cultivated locally. Invite children to engage their senses by feeling the soil, smelling the plants and observing the garden environment to build a deeper connection to the Earth and an understanding of where food comes from. Discover local community gardens.
4. Sensory Food Play: Set up a time outside your child’s typical mealtime. Gather foods you would like your child to learn about and encourage to eat one day. Select a variety of food in different colors, shapes, sizes and textures. Play along with your child and help them make funny faces or animals out of their food, after, enjoy your snack together. Click here for sensory food play ideas!
5. Be an Earth Buddy: Teach your children how to care for Mother Earth! Do this by promoting open dialogue, going outside regularly to appreciate nature and wildlife, encouraging their interests, teaching them good conservation habits like recycling/composting, or by picking up trash in outdoor spaces together. View more earth-friendly tips.
6. Make Nature Art: Take a short walk through the neighborhood or visit a local park to enjoy the beauty of nature. Collect rocks, leaves or fallen flowers in a variety of colors, sizes and textures. Bring these treasures home and arrange them on paper to create a masterpiece—glue them down or use them as natural brushes to paint and experiment with different patterns. You can also get creative with fruit and vegetable scraps by dipping them in tempera paint and stamping them onto paper to make fun designs and pictures. Explore other nature craft ideas.
7. Go on a Foodie Scavenger Hunt: Take a trip to your local farmer’s market or grocery store and turning your visit into a fun learning game. Before you go, make a simple list of fruits and vegetables to look for, or use colors such as red, green and yellow as your guide. As you walk through the market or store, search for each item, point to it, name it and check it off the list. Try to find at least 5–10 different fruits or vegetables before you finish your trip! Need tips to get started? Click here!
8. Play Fruits & Vegetables Bingo: Play a twist on the classic BINGO game as a fun way to encourage your children to learn about and try new fruits and vegetables. Over the course of a week, challenge them to taste different items—each time they try one, mark it off on their BINGO card. Aim for five in a row or complete the entire card! This is a fun way to explore new foods, build healthy eating habits and make mealtime more exciting. Download Fruits & Vegetables bingo cards.
9. Become a Wilderness Explorer: Help your child develop an appreciation and love of our diverse natural spaces in San Diego. Visit one of our many local parks, beaches or take a simple walk around your neighborhood and let them roam, play and explore. Enjoy everything nature has to offer right in your backyard and teach them about the wildlife and fauna you find! Try these native plant activities, while adventuring.
10. Make a Family Food Memory: Turn your kitchen into a mini adventure! Set aside time to cook together and let your child be the “chef of the day.” Help them pick a fun recipe, then jump in—washing, stirring, pouring, mixing, and decorating based on their age. Encourage taste-testing and trying something new along the way. Snap a few photos, share stories about your favorite family recipes or let your child invent their own name for the dish! When it’s time to eat, celebrate your creation together.

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