Reading Log Template
Choose a nightly log, a book log or a reading-response log, then switch columns on and off: date, book, author, pages, minutes, star rating, response and parent initials. Set the rows and a reading goal, type entries on screen if you like, and print on Letter or A4. Free, no sign-up.
Printed at the top right, for example: 20 minutes a night.
Prints at true size on the paper chosen above, with a 0.5 in margin kept clear. In the print dialog choose the same paper, set Scale to 100% (Actual size), and turn off Fit to page and Headers and footers.
How to Use the Reading Log Template
- 1. Start from a set of columns. Nightly log has the date, book, pages, minutes and parent initials; Book log has the date, book, author, pages and a star rating; Reading response swaps in a wide box for what the reader thought. Then tick or untick any column.
- 2. Set the rows and the goal. Choose a number of rows or fill the page, and a row height; rows with a response column are at least 10 mm tall so there is room to write. Type a goal such as 20 minutes a night and it prints at the top right, with optional name and teacher lines.
- 3. Fill it in, or leave it blank. Tick Fill in the first rows on screen to type dates, titles, pages and minutes first — handy for a parent or teacher keeping a log digitally. Whatever you enter prints into the sheet, and the totals row adds up pages and minutes.
- 4. Print at 100%. Choose Letter or A4, portrait or landscape, and print with the scale on Actual size and headers and footers off. The margin is 0.5 inch on Letter and 12 mm on A4.
Choosing the Columns
| Column | What goes in it | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Date and book title | When the reading happened and what was read | Every log; the minimum a reader or teacher needs |
| Author | Who wrote it | Book logs, where children build a record of what they have read |
| Pages read | Pages covered in the sitting | Chapter books, and anyone setting a pages goal |
| Minutes | Time spent reading | Nightly logs with a time target such as 20 minutes |
| Rating | Five stars to colour in | Quick opinions that need no writing; good for younger readers |
| What I thought | A sentence or two of response | Reading-response logs, where the point is thinking about the book |
| Parent initials | A signature box for a parent or carer | Homework logs that need a check at home |
Time, Pages or Thinking?
What a log asks for shapes what the reader pays attention to. Minutes and pages are easy to count and to check, and a goal such as 20 minutes a night — a common one, though schools and teachers set their own — makes a routine. Some teachers find that a log of minutes alone can turn reading into something to get through, and add a short response or a star rating so the log records what the child thought as well as how long they sat with the book. Choosing columns is how you set the balance: keep minutes for a habit, add a response box for comprehension, and add parent initials if the log is homework.
The sheet is drawn in your browser at the real paper size, and the entries you type on screen are not saved or uploaded; print or save the sheet and close the page, and they are gone. If you want to keep the log going over weeks, print a blank sheet or a fresh page for each month.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I make a nightly reading log?
- Start from Nightly log: it has columns for the date, book title, pages read, minutes and parent initials. Add a goal such as 20 minutes a night and choose Fill the page for rows, or about 30 for a month. Print it and send it home, or tick Fill in the first rows on screen to enter the first few days before printing.
- What should a reading log include?
- At minimum the date and the title of the book. After that it depends on the purpose: minutes or pages for a habit or a target, author for a record of reading, a star rating or a sentence of response for comprehension, and a parent's initials where the log is homework.
- How many minutes should children read each night?
- There is no single answer, and teachers and schools set their own: many ask for 10 to 30 minutes, with younger children at the lower end. The generator does not set a target for you. Type yours into the goal box and it appears at the top of the sheet.
- Can I fill in the reading log on screen before printing?
- Yes. Tick Fill in the first rows on screen and type into the boxes for each column; stars are chosen from a list. What you enter is drawn into the printed table and the totals row adds up the pages and minutes. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere, so print or download the page before you close it.
- How do I make a reading response log?
- Choose Reading response, which has a wide What I thought column and a star rating. The rows are at least 10 mm tall so that a child can write a sentence or two, or you can choose roomy rows for more space. Switch the page to landscape for an even wider response box.
- Can I print a log with only the columns I want?
- Yes. Every column can be switched on or off, in any combination, as long as at least one stays on. The columns share the page width in proportion, with wide ones — response, title — getting more room than narrow ones like pages and minutes.
- What size does the reading log print?
- It fills a Letter or A4 page inside a 0.5 inch or 12 mm margin, portrait by default, and runs onto more pages if you choose more rows than fit. Print with the scale at 100% so rows are the height you picked: 7, 9 or 12 mm.