Beanstack Blog

6 Lessons for Building Stronger Reading Habits at School

Hugh Burke — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

As a former reading teacher and school leader, I saw firsthand that getting students to read more wasn’t just about setting a bigger goal. It was about helping them build a routine they could actually stick with.

For some students, that might mean reading for 20 minutes a day. For others, five or ten minutes is an important starting point. What matters most is creating a goal that feels achievable enough to build confidence, while still giving students something to work toward.

That’s why I’m excited about Beanstack’s new Daily Reading Goals feature. It gives educators a simple way to personalize reading goals for individual students and make their progress easier to see.

The feature itself is only part of the equation. How schools use those goals can make all the difference.

Here are six ways educators can use daily reading goals to help students build stronger reading habits.

5 New Features for Back-to-School 2026

contact@zoobean.com (The Beanstack Team) — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:09:17 GMT

A new school year brings new goals, new routines, and new opportunities to build a strong reading culture. To help your team start the year with momentum, we’re highlighting five recent Beanstack updates that make it easier to manage your program, support individual readers, and understand the impact of reading engagement.

How to Choose a Theme for Your School’s Reading Fundraiser

contact@zoobean.com (The Beanstack Team) — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:58:05 GMT

Planning a school reading fundraiser is about more than raising money. It's an opportunity to build excitement around reading, strengthen school spirit, and bring students, families, and staff together around a shared goal.

A great theme makes your fundraiser more engaging, memorable, and easier to promote. It provides a creative foundation for everything from decorations and communications to reading milestones, prizes, and celebration events.

Whether you're planning your first reading fundraiser or looking for fresh inspiration, here's how to choose a theme your readers will love, plus seven ready-to-use ideas to help bring it to life.

(Re)Introducing the Reading Culture Awards

contact@zoobean.com (The Beanstack Team) — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT

As a reading motivation platform, we’ve learned through data that competition, goal setting, and incentives and recognition motivate students to read more. With the Reading Culture Awards, we bring that same energy and evidence-based strategies to our school communities. The Reading Culture Awards are our way of celebrating your hard work — and helping you fuel even more momentum along the way.

Celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month

contact@zoobean.com (The Beanstack Team) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:09:05 GMT

A library card is much more than a piece of plastic. It's an invitation to discover new stories, learn new skills, and connect with your community. Every September, Library Card Sign-up Month celebrates the countless opportunities that begin with a single card. At Beanstack, we believe a library card is the key to unlocking a lifelong love of reading, and building a reading culture in your community.

5 Ways Reading Challenges Build Student Reading Identity

contact@zoobean.com (The Beanstack Team) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 04:00:01 GMT

Low participation. Inconsistent engagement. Students who show up for the kickoff and disappear by week two. If you’ve run a school reading program, you know this cycle. What’s easy to miss is that these challenges are often symptoms of something deeper. Most students don’t decide that reading isn’t for them overnight. Instead, a series of experiences gradually shapes whether they see themselves as readers and develop positive reading habits.

The goal isn’t just getting students to log more minutes. It’s helping them build a reading identity so the habit sticks long after the challenge ends. That distinction matters more right now than ever:

New federal data released in 2025 found the share of 9-year-olds who read for fun almost every day has dropped 16 percent over the past 13 years.
A 2025 study tracking 20 years of the American Time Use Survey found reading for pleasure declining at roughly 3% per year across the U.S. population.

School-based reading programs are among the most practical ways to reverse that trend. Here are five ways well-designed reading challenges help students develop a reading identity, along with strategies educators and librarians can put to work today.

Beyond Book Fairs: Raising Money and Building Reading Culture

contact@zoobean.com (The Beanstack Team) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Schools and libraries depend on fundraising to support books, programs, and other literacy initiatives. For decades, book fairs have been a popular way to raise money while helping students discover new books.

As educators continue to focus on equity and inclusion, many are taking a closer look at how fundraising models affect students and families. While book fairs can be exciting community events, participation often depends on a family's ability to spend money. Reading-based fundraisers offer a different approach. They invite every student to participate while encouraging reading, strengthening community connections, and supporting literacy.

How (and Why!) to Run a Superintendent or District Reading Challenge

contact@zoobean.com (The Beanstack Team) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 12:26:21 GMT

A district-wide reading challenge can do more than encourage students to read. When thoughtfully planned, it can help unify schools around a shared literacy goal, elevate the work of library teams, and give district leaders a visible, positive way to support reading culture.

Product Spotlight: Daily Reading Goals

contact@zoobean.com (The Beanstack Team) — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:17:17 GMT

Every reader’s journey looks a little different. Some students are building stamina, some are ready for a challenge, and some need a small, achievable daily goal. With our new Daily Reading Goals feature, educators can set personalized daily reading goals that help students build momentum at their own pace.

Strategies to Increase Student Engagement in Reading

contact@zoobean.com (The Beanstack Team) — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 04:00:01 GMT

Student engagement plays a vital role in student learning. Recent data from EdWeek shows that 45% of principals and 29% of teachers recognize the direct link between student achievement and engagement. But how can we measure and encourage student engagement in the classroom? And how can they use reading as a way to increase it? That remains a question educators tackle year in and year out.