School’s almost out, but reading, learning and growing are in! The Seattle Public Library’s 106th annual Summer of Learning kicks off today with free activities, programs, and reading challenges designed to keep kids curious, creative and engaged all summer long.
Get started by visiting your closest Library location (www.spl.org/Hours) to pick up a Summer of Learning activity sheet that includes a gameboard for kids to track their reading, learning and growing day by day. Once they’ve filled 15 gameboard spots, they can pick up a small prize from their branch and their name will go up on the Wall of Fame.
Kids can pick a suggested activity from the sheet or make up their own. A reading activity might include reading for 20 minutes a day to keep your reading muscles strong, or writing and drawing your own comic book. Suggested learning activities include playing a board or video game, visiting a museum or cultural center, or attending a fun Library program. Growing activities might include sharing a recipe with loved ones or learning about local plants.
The activity sheet also connects kids to free Library resources, such as one-on-one tutoring through tutor.com; language learning using Mango Languages; and animated talking picture books through TumbleBook.
You can also download the Summer of Learning activity sheet at www.spl.org/SummerofLearning in eight languages: Amharic, Chinese, English, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya and Vietnamese.
Need book ideas? Find librarian-created book lists for kids at the Library’s website, or stop by your local branch to find a book list, talk to a librarian or browse.
Free summer programs at the Library
Try a new Library program this summer! We regularly hold programs such as story times in different languages, board game activities, drop-in chess, Play and Learn sessions and more.
Libraries will also host special Summer of Learning programs such as magic shows, dance and music performances, filmmaking workshops, artmaking and more.
On Thursday, August 7, the Burke Museum is holding an all-day free Summer of Learning party. Join us to explore the Burke Museum and enjoy free activities. In August, many branches will also host end-of-summer parties.
All Library programs are free and open to the public.
Book Bingo for teens and adults
Teens and adults can join the summer fun by playing Summer Book Bingo: Read books in fun categories, fill in your squares and submit your card by Tuesday, Sept. 6, to be entered in a drawing for prizes. www.spl.org/BookBingo.
Other cool reasons to visit the Library this summer
The Library is a great place to cool off while browsing books and using the public computers or other resources. Twenty-two of the Library’s 27 locations are air-conditioned, including the Green Lake Branch, which added air conditioning as part of levy-supported renovations completed in October 2024. You can find a complete list of air- conditioned Library locations at www.spl.org/Shelter.
More information
The Library and three local artists – Katana Sol, Victoria Urrutia and Yolanda Galery – collaborated on artwork for the Summer of Learning. Find information about the artists on our Summer of Learning page.
The 2025 Summer of Learning is supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation.
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