Why Reading is the Ultimate Screen-Free Summer Activity for Your Tween

by Sydney Stevic

Close-up of an open notebook filled with handwriting on a wooden table, with a person sitting nearby, suggesting summer journaling or reading notes.

When summer hits, routines go out the window and screen time creeps up faster than a melting popsicle on hot pavement. Parents everywhere are asking the same thing: how do we keep kids entertained and off their devices during the long summer break? Sure, there are camps, backyard games, and trips to the pool, but let’s not forget one of the simplest, most powerful screen-free activities of all …*drum roll*… reading!

Books have a quiet magic. They don’t buzz, beep, or glow, but they still manage to take us on incredible adventures across galaxies, centuries, and secret passageways. At Once Upon a Book Club, we believe reading isn’t just a screen-free alternative—it’s an adventure, a connection point, and a life skill disguised as fun. And with our book boxes, reading becomes something kids and families want to do. It’s time for the ultimate win; yes, you guessed it, this summer, let’s swap screens for stories!

Low-angle shot of a group of teens standing in a circle holding smartphones, symbolizing screen time and digital device use.

The Summer Screen-Time Struggle

The average tween spends over five hours a day on screens, while teens average more than seven. And according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, too much screen time can lead to sleep disruption, attention issues, and reduced physical activity. For families, this creates an ongoing tug-of-war between convenience and concern. We hand over a device to buy ourselves a quiet moment, but somewhere at the back of our minds, we find ourselves worrying about the long-term impact.

That’s where books come in! Reading offers all the calm without the chaos. Unlike passive scrolling or video games that overstimulate young minds, reading slows things down. It asks us to imagine, to focus, to feel. It balances our days with moments of stillness and story, something every developing brain can benefit from. Come on, we’ve all been there, stuck on our phones, continually scrolling and suddenly wondering where the last hour or two went.

A young girl sitting cross-legged under a tree in a park, focused on reading a book in the peaceful outdoors.

Why Reading is the Best Screen-Free Alternative for Tweens

Reading doesn’t just fill the time—it feeds the mind. While digital media often delivers information in bite-sized, low-effort bursts, reading asks for (and rewards) deeper engagement. It builds vocabulary, strengthens focus, and invites empathy by letting readers walk in someone else’s shoes. And because it’s quiet and self-paced, it’s one of the few screen-free activities that work whether your child is an introvert, extrovert, or somewhere in between.

Even better? Reading can be enjoyed solo or shared. Families can start buddy reads, listen to audiobooks together in the car, or set aside 20-minute reading blocks after lunch. It’s flexible, affordable, and endlessly imaginative. Instead of zoning out, you tune in to characters, to themes, and at the end of the day, to yourselves. It’s the kind of mental nourishment kids need after a year of tech-heavy schooling.

Once Upon a Book Club's illustrated Book Bingo challenge card featuring fun reading activities like “read outside,” “buddy read,” and “attend an author event.”

How to Make Reading Feel Like an Adventure

Build a Summer Reading Fort

Start by making reading feel special. Drape a blanket over some chairs, toss in a few pillows, and voilà—your child has their very own book fort. Let them decorate it, fill it with snacks and stuffed animals, and claim it as their official summer reading zone. Bonus points for fairy lights and secret “No Grown-Ups Allowed” signs. Creating a space that’s cozy, playful, and screen-free sets the tone for a season of exploration.

Create a Reading Challenge

Turn reading into a game by setting goals and celebrating progress. Use a reading challenge to help track minutes read or books completed, or our specially created book passports for tweens.

Set up mini rewards like choosing dinner, or earning a trip to your local bookstore or library. For tweens and teens, try reading bingo or a scavenger hunt (“Find a book with a dragon!”). Making reading goal-oriented keeps motivation high, especially when it’s paired with something they can check off.

Pair Reading with Activities

Stories don’t need to stay between the covers, it’s time to bring them into our world. If your child is reading a mystery, encourage them to write their own. Reading a fantasy novel? Have them design a map of the world. You can even tie in crafts, nature walks, or kitchen experiments inspired by the book. OUABC’s tween book subscription boxes are the ultimate reading adventure, packed with an exciting novel and surprises to bring the story to life, making the reading experience immersive and interactive.

Subscribe to a Book Box

When kids know that reading leads to gifts, it’s bound to get them excited. It’s our way of gamifying the best activity around. Our Once Upon a Book Club subscription book boxes for kids, teens, and adults are designed to surprise and delight.

Each box includes a novel and 3–5 individually wrapped gifts to be opened at specific page numbers, so the excitement builds as the story progresses. It’s reading, but with plot twists you can open. Whether you’re encouraging a reluctant reader or spoiling a lifelong book lover, a subscription box makes summer reading feel like an event, not an obligation. Explore our Tween Book Subscription Boxes or grab one of our Ready-to-Ship Tween Boxes to get started.

Want to find out more about our tween book subscription boxes? Check out our blog!

Real Reader Testimonials

We love the positive feedback we continually receive from our subscribers. It’s wonderful to know that our readers get just as much enjoyment out of our book subscription boxes as we do curating them!

“Great first taste. I got this box to introduce myself to the club while I waited for my subscription to kick in, and I loved it. The book was a fun romance, and the gifts got me reading faster so I could open them. Great concept!”

Suzanne F

“Well made! I received these as part of my first-ever OUABC box. I admittedly was skeptical when ordering, not expecting too much in the way of quality, but I’m happy to report that I feared for nothing!”

Tips to Make Reading a Summer Habit

Like any good habit, the key is consistency and ease. Find a time of day that naturally fits your schedule—after lunch, before bed, or during quiet time—and make it your designated reading moment. Keep books in view and within reach: on coffee tables, in the car, or packed in your beach bag. Let your kids choose books that reflect their interests, whether that’s animal stories, funny comics, or historical fiction.

Celebrate small milestones. Did they finish a chapter book? Treat them to an ice-cream party. Did they read aloud to a sibling? Let them pick the next family movie. You can also use Once Upon a Book Club’s page-matched surprises to build anticipation! At last, reading becomes a treasure hunt they’ll want to return to day after day.

Stacked and drawer-styled Once Upon a Book Club Tween Boxes with yellow book-themed packaging arranged against a white wooden background.

Turn the Page on Summer

As summer fills up with camps, travels, and sunny distractions, let’s not forget to carve out space for imagination. Reading is more than just a screen-free alternative—it’s a chance to reconnect, unwind, and grow. It’s one of the few activities that calms the body while exciting the mind, and it has a magical way of making memories that last long after the final page.

So, whether you’re building a fort, checking off challenges, or diving into a surprise-filled OUABC box, remember this: books are more than words on a page—they’re the adventure you’ve been waiting for. Subscribe to a Once Upon a Book Club book box, grab a reading log, and start your family’s screen-free summer story today.

If you enjoyed this blog, we think you’ll love our blog, Creating a Literacy-Friendly Home Environment. Here’s to new adventures and happy reading from all of us at Once Upon a Book Club!