Read 6 story books in the Read to the Beat Summer Reading Challenge 2026
In this years Summer Reading Challenge there are lots of books that bring together the joy of stories and the energy of music. It's free to join at your local library and you can Read to the Beat all Summer long!
School holidays can be challenging. Research found that 64% of parents see their kids struggle with boredom, and 55% say cost holds their family back from activities. But there's good news: 84% of parents believe reading boost their child's wellbeing — and this Summer, let Read to the Beat and Numberchase be there to help and it's free
Read to the Beat blends stories, rhythm and creativity, with free library events, celebrity readings, and a nationwide competition.
Children can set their own reading goals, explore audiobooks, poetry or graphic novels, and collect a special edition of Storytime magazine. Your local library is open, free, and ready. Sign up and make this the Summer your family fell in love with reading and maths.
Start with 6 books from the Summer Reading Challenge and not only can you have fun together learning to read but here's how you can really help your child develop brilliant maths skills too.
Lots of different ways to count
A noisy adventure jam-packed full of sounds and colourful illustrations brilliant for counting.
The Very Noisy House by Sally Nicholls and Gosia Herba
Good for:
- Age 4–6
- Counting
- Size
- Pattern
☺ Ask "How many creapy crawlies/birds/eyes/legs?"
☺ Ask "How many more?"
☺ Take turns to play say "eye spy with my little eye e.g. three ?"(pause) and limit answers to e.g.three goes
☺ Assuming all the characters have two eyes practice counting the eyes on each page in twos and match the two times table fact
☺ Following the read to the beat theme clap or tap along with the noises e.g.3 beats for splish splash splosh
☺Extend the eye spy game to "I hear with my little ear?"(pause) referring to the noisy patterns for example rat-a-tat-tat would count as 4 . A harder example-toodle-oo,toodle-oo would count as 6 (6 syllables are heard as you say it)
☺ Play with combined noises e.g. scrub-a-dub-dub-drip-drip followed by rat-a-tat-tat to make 10
☺ Talk about sizes as you ask e.g "Do you think the lion can fit through that door?"
★ Pass it on ★ Ask "How do you know?, How can we keep track when we are counting the big numbers?"
Feel the Beat- Feel the Numbers
Jacki’s mama is slowly losing her hearing. Together, they are learning Sign Language and finding ways to enjoy the beat listening to music together?
Listening to the quiet by Casie Silva and Frances Ives
Good for:
- Age 4–7
- Pattern
- Feel for numbers(teachers call number sense)
☺ Try out some actions as you stamp stamp stomp
☺ Practice your stamp, stamp, stomp routine and count one , two, THREE, four, five, SIX...
☺ Playfully try out some different hand actions to represent the numbers 0 to 20/0 to 100/0 or 1000000! Decide which are your favourites. Take turns to use your hands to show a number and see if it is recognised!
☺ Learn british sign language 0 to 20 (there are variations)
★ Pass it on ★ Talk about the three times table as you stamp stamp stomp. Ask e.g. "how many times would we need to do our stamp stamp stomp routine if we wanted to do thirty actions all together?"
Make music- Hear the numbers
Nandi shares the magic of her story of drumming. Share simple beats with drums and more and you and your child can experience numbers in a new powerful way.
The Life-Changing Magic of Drumming by Nandi Bushell illustrated by Andrea Stegmaier
Good for:
- Age 6–8
- Pattern
- Feel for numbers(teachers call number sense)
☺ Most pop songs are written in 4/4 timing.Try to count 1,2,3,4,1,2,3...along to your favourite song.
☺ Make music with the patterns of crosses.
Replace the drums with noisy actions or different musical instruments
☺ Make up your own 4 beat musical patterns and work out a way to record them on paper
☺ Fill a bottle with 100 beans/beads, another bottle with 10 another with 1 bead/bean. Take turns to close your eyes and see if you can hear a number or a sum being played
☺ Listen to a one pound coin being dropped into a noisy tin e.g. a cake tin. Can you hear the difference if a 10 pence coin or 1 pence coin is dropped instead? Take turns to close your eyes and see if you can hear the total of the coins that have been dropped into the tin
★ Pass it on ★ Counting along to your favourite song ask" how many times do you think we wil count 1,2,3,4 before the end? The eyes closed activities are brilliant for helping your child move from numbers of objects that they can see or touch to numbers that they can imagine. When a child has to imagine the numbers teachers call this abstract maths. Moving towards working with abstract maths is the most tricky transition to do.The transition is thought to be a trigger point for "I hate maths" and maths anxiety
Read more about the 2026 Summer Reading
There are lots more recommended books to Read the Beat
Pick up any one of the story books and you can have lots of fun reading AND building real maths understanding at home
Easy fun ways to share some brilliant maths chat with your child as you read a picture book
Turn story time into brilliant maths chat with these simple, playful ideas — no worksheets, no anxiety, no teaching experience needed. Shh... they won't even notice they're doing maths!
- Count together – Count how many in different ways
- Spot shapes and patterns – look for circles, squares, or repeating patterns in the words or illustrations
- Ask "how many more?" – compare amounts as the story unfolds
- Predict what's next – guess what happens next
- Talk about size and position – spot what's bigger, smaller, first, or last
Parents also ask
What age is best to start maths chat while reading?
There's no wrong age to start! Even toddlers can join in with simple counting, but ages 4-7 are ideal for building on early number skills — spotting shapes, comparing amounts, spotting patterns and predicting outcomes as they listen to a story. These early, playful conversations lay the groundwork for confident number sense and mathematical skills
Why is combining story time with maths chat such a brilliant idea?
Reading together is already one of the most powerful things a parent can do, building two skills at once by adding some maths chat is more powerful BUT easy. Because it happens inside a story your child already loves, it feels like play rather than a lesson, so there's no resistance and no pressure. Children absorb number concepts far more deeply through meaningful, real-life context than through worksheets, and a shared picture book gives you that context for free, every single night.
Do I need to be good at maths to do this and help my child?
Not at all. These are simple, everyday questions like "how many more?" or "what shape is that?" — no teaching experience or maths confidence required, just curiosity and a good book. Your enthusiasm and willingness to wonder out loud really matters. Because you are not trying to recreate a formal school environment there is no fear of sparking maths anxiety for your child which is just brilliant.
How long should maths chat take during story time?
Just a minute or two here and there is enough. A quick question or observation on a page — like counting characters or spotting a pattern — keeps it fun without interrupting the flow of the story. Try to mirror your child's interests so that sometimes you might spend a little longer.
What books work best for maths chat?
Any picture book works! Books with repeating characters, patterns, or objects to count are especially good, but you can find maths opportunities in almost any story with a little imagination. Look out for stories with counting sequences, size comparisons, or predictable, repeating structures for the easiest starting points.
Try more topics from the Numberchase parent advice hub
Parent guide — what is subitising and how to help your child
Why playing games is a brilliant way to help your child with maths at home
More fun games and activities to help 5-6 year olds
More fun games and activities to help 6-7 year olds
Please let me know if you have a topic idea for the numberchase advice hub. Sue @numberchase.co.uk
