Inspired by the success of GSHE’s past reading challenges and similar programs offered by public libraries, GSHE is continuing its monthly Reading Challenge for 2026, created especially for New Hampshire’s homeschool community.
This challenge is designed to be simple, flexible, and enjoyable. Each month offers a broad reading theme that encourages children to explore new authors, subjects, and genres in ways that fit your homeschool style.
Families may choose any book that matches the monthly theme and feels appropriate for their child’s age, interests, and reading level.
There are no required book reports, projects, logs, or submissions to GSHE. If you choose to keep a record of your child’s participation, it may be included in your homeschool portfolio, but that is entirely optional.
Participation
GSHE does not collect reading logs, track participation, or offer prizes for the Reading Challenge. Families are welcome to extend the challenge in their own creative ways, such as offering a small monthly incentive, planning special library visits, or setting aside dedicated family reading time.
For children who are not yet reading independently, audiobooks and family read-alouds count. Readers of all abilities are welcome.
If you’d like encouragement and ideas for reading together as a family, you may also enjoy:
Read Alouds: Benefits, Research, and Favorite Books – Part 1
Read Alouds: Tips and Favorite Books – Part 2
Finding Books on a Budget
Your local library is a great place to start, including access to interlibrary loan (ILL) programs.
GSHE members also have access to a wide range of free book and audiobook resources through the GSHE Resource Directory. Create a free account at gshenh.org/join to explore options such as:
Libby by OverDrive
LibriVox (public-domain audiobooks)
NH Downloadable Books Consortium
Project Gutenberg
Storyberries (especially helpful for younger readers)
Ben and Me (free Kindle books for children)
For April, the reading challenge is to read some poetry!
April is National Poetry Month, established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. Poetry can be playful, thoughtful, funny, comforting, or memorable—and it can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. This month is a good opportunity to explore poems together, try a new poet, or simply read a poem aloud now and then.
Poetry doesn’t have to be formal or complicated. This month can be as simple as reading a short poem each day, listening to poetry aloud, or exploring playful and humorous verse with younger children.
When asked “Does poetry matter,” the Academy of American Poets answered this way:
“Perhaps no other art form is asked to defend its value, impact, relevance, and existence as often as poetry. Through the centuries poets have explained how poetry connects us to ourselves. With a mastery of language and its possibilities, poets elevate the material of everyday communication to art that requires reflection and contemplation, and ultimately elucidates our location in the world.”
One of the most recognized and celebrated American poets is Robert Frost. Although he was not born in New Hampshire, he lived and wrote many of his famous poems in Derry. Consider adding a field trip to the Robert Frost Farm! The historic site is open to tours from May through October for a small fee, and the grounds and trails are open to the public at no cost year-round.
Here are some fun ways to enjoy this month’s poetry challenge:
- Read a poem aloud at a meal or bedtime.
- Memorize a favorite short poem.
- Try writing a simple haiku or rhyme.
- Pair poetry with a nature walk or spring observations.
There are many different poetic forms, each with unique characteristics and structure. Here are common types:
- Haiku: This is a traditional Japanese form of three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern, often about nature.
- Epic: This is a long narrative poem that has a celebratory tone about great achievements and heroes. Homer’s “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” are classics.
- Limerick: This is a humorous style of five lines in an AABBA rhyming pattern. Famous limerick poets include Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, John Updike, and Ogden Nash.
- Ballad: This narrative poetic form tells a story about a person or event, often with a repeated line that is called a refrain.
- Sonnet: This style originated in Italy during the Renaissance, is often 14 lines with a specific rhyme scheme. Shakespeare is one of the most famous sonnet poets.
- Free Verse: This style does not have a traditional form or rhyming pattern.
Learn more about poetic forms:
- BBC Maestro: 18 Poetic Forms Every Poet Should Know
- Literacy Ideas: 7 Types of Poetry for Kids (With Examples & Tasks)
- MasterClass: Poetry 101 – Learn about Poetry, Different Types of Poems and Poetic Devices with Examples
Recommended Poetry Sources:
- Several list of poems for kids by the Academy of American Poets
- Several lists of poems for teens by the Academy of American Poets
- Poems for middle and high school students by We Are Teachers
Classic & Foundational
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Emily Dickinson
T.S. Eliot
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Robert Frost
Langston Hughes
Rudyard Kipling
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Edgar Allan Poe
Christina Rossetti
William Shakespeare
Mark Twain
Playful & Younger Readers
Lewis Carroll
Roald Dahl
Eloise Greenfield
Edward Lear
A.A. Milne
Ogden Nash
Jack Prelutsky
Dr. Seuss
Shel Silverstein
Robert Louis Stevenson
Modern & Accessible
Maya Angelou
Gwendolyn Brooks
Naomi Shihab Nye
Mary Oliver
John Updike
