The start of a new year is a time for self-reflection and goal-setting for the months ahead. Many strive to get healthier, start a new hobby, or spend more time with family. But there’s one often-overlooked resolution that is proven to reduce stress, boost empathy, and cultivate curiosity: reading.
Reading every day benefits people of all ages—and here at Beanstack, we believe winter reading challenges are the best way to encourage readers to make a reading resolution in 2026. We’ve compiled our top winter reading challenge tips to help you inspire readers to dive into a new book this January.
Planning out a winter reading challenge from scratch can feel daunting, especially with stretched staff and limited resources. But it doesn’t have to be a complicated process. With our pre-made templates, you can launch a challenge in just a few clicks or customize it to fit your community!
Setting a clear goal is an essential piece of the winter reading recipe! We’ve found that challenges on sites with community goals averaged nearly 70% higher participation than those without them. Once you’ve set a target, promote it and your readers' progress toward reaching it throughout the challenge. A school-wide or library district goal that encourages collaborative participation in reaching a certain number of minutes can be quite motivating.
To make winter reading an even lighter lift, consider using the pre-made marketing materials that come with your Beanstack template. Our marketing materials are thematic and fun, and will save your staff time. For our 2026 challenge, “Read with Benny,” we've created themed badges, social media content, and promotional images and flyers. These materials are ready to go, though you can always make them extra special by tailoring them to fit your school or library if you have the time.
To further motivate participants, consider offering incentives or rewards for achieving reading goals. These can be as simple as free books for your top readers or as elaborate as a themed party when your community goal is met. And, because everyone loves to be recognized for a job well done, use leaderboards and displays to share readers with the most logged books or minutes each week. Recognizing top readers can create friendly competition to boost engagement and get your whole community excited about logging.
Taking your reading challenge online is an easy way to keep readers engaged at home and in the building. Apps like Beanstack let readers track their progress on an easy-to-use mobile app and earn fun badges along the way. Readers can compete with friends on leaderboards and keep track of their community goal progress, all in one place.
There’s no better way to dive into the new year than with a new challenge—especially one that brings your community together. With these winter reading challenge tips, your readers are sure to stay engaged and excited about books and reading all year long.
Our 2026 Winter Reading Challenge, sponsored by Steps to Literacy, invites readers across North America to join Benny the Bean on a fun book-filled adventure. As the new year begins, this challenge reminds us that reading is rewarding for all ages—and even better when shared with a friend, family member, or fellow book lover. Plus, participating schools and libraries can win prizes, including a $1,000 Steps to Literacy gift card, and more!
Are you interested in bringing reading challenges to your school or library? Check out our available plans or contact our team to get started.