Last year, just for fun, I started creating monthly "reading challenges" that:
Additionally, hoped they might help teachers and librarians build even stronger reading communities.
It was a fun project. But as 2024 drew to a close, I wasn't sure if I had the capacity to keep making them. Then... library media friend, Jennifer Malphy, started sending me photos of my reading challenges, completed by her readers, so naturally... I decided I wanted to keep making them.
That said, I've been reading a bit about the connection between mindfulness and coloring. Specifically, I'm interested in how coloring symmetrical and repeating patterns can help draw us into a state that is similar to meditation. With that in mind, I've decided to approach this year's coloring challenges with designs that focus on patterns - as opposed to themes.
My plan, at this point, is to create 2 different patterns for each month, to share in addition to last year's design. All three coloring sheets are free to download contain the same reading challenges. Here are January's:
Thanks again, to Jennifer Malphy for sharing her reader's work with me! I loved seeing them.
Happy coloring, y'all!
UNDER THE HOOD
I've gotten some questions about how I create these. I use a combination of the following tools to create the monthly book challenge (and the book related) coloring sheets I share. Each coloring sheet takes me between 4-10 hours to create. (I'm slow).
