Pick a popular book series and run a themed contest. Schedule several special events during the contest to keep the interest high. Ideas include a costume party where they dress up as a character or thing from one of the books, a book or series trivia contest, a kick-off party for the release of a new book in the series or any activity related to the series. Contact local businesses to ask for prize donations. For each book in the series a child reads, and each event she attends, she earns points. Award prizes according to the number of points earned.
Contact other schools or libraries to see if they would be interested in a Book Bowl. Each school or library fields a team of kids who will each read 10 assigned books. Each child on a team will become an expert on two of the books, studying word definitions and details of those books. Have a librarian or interested adult write questions about the books that get more difficult as the contest progresses. Schedule contests within a district and then let those winners compete in the finals. Award ribbons and trophies to the winning teams. The first place trophy can stay at the winning team’s library or school for a year until the next Book Bowl.
Kids can read to earn money that will be donated to a charitable cause. Take suggestions for the charity and let the kids vote on which one they like. Make sign-up sheets explaining the reading contest with spaces for sponsors to sign their names, addresses, phone numbers and amount they will donate per page read. Decide on the length of the contest and the types of books that are acceptable.
Contact a local bookstore and ask if they would be willing to donate books to children in a reading contest. Send home letters to parents telling them that the store is helping their children develop a love of reading by donating books as prizes. The store will get free publicity. Set the number of books and the type that must be read to qualify for the prize. Send press releases about the contest to local radio stations and newspapers and be sure to send a picture of the winners at the bookstore.