Reading is crucial in early childhood development. It enhances language and overall cognitive development, laying a firm foundation for your child’s future. However, not all kids enjoy reading, and sometimes, it takes a lot more effort to make reading activities fun for them.
To make reading activities fun for children, select the right books, design an enticing reading environment, and allow them to pick their books. In addition, bringing the stories to life by enacting them or voicing different characters makes reading more fun. Lastly, your kids will more likely enjoy reading activities if you cultivate a reading culture early.
These actions offer undeniable benefits that trickle into your kid’s formal learning and future success. As a first-time mom, I didn’t fully understand the benefit of reading activities for children, but that changed when I had my second daughter. So, speaking from experience, I’ll delve into fun tips that will turn your baby into a book lover.
1. Cultivate Reading Habits from an Early Age
This tip is very important because the child’s brain is developing, and every habit they pick up will likely stick with them for a lifetime. So you can start reading to them as early as a few weeks old. They’ll accept reading as part of their routine as they grow up.
For my second daughter, we started incorporating bedtime stories around week three, which paid off. As she grew up, she expected a bedtime story every day, and eventually, she began reading them herself. It’s safe to say that an early reading culture improves their reading skills.
Also, the Literacy Project states that 1 in 4 children grow up without reading skills. Additionally, 37% of kindergarten students enrol without the necessary learning skills. Therefore, cultivating a reading culture from an early age gives your child an advantage in formal education.
2. Reading Aloud is Fun
Approximately 83% of children enjoy being read to or reading out aloud. This simple yet beneficial tip will make reading exceptionally fun for your babies. So, if your child seems uninterested in reading activities, turn it into a fun activity by reading aloud.
You can also add excitement by bringing the characters to life through voice changes and fun acting. Your kid will enjoy listening as you switch from snow white’s voice to any of the seven dwarfs’ voices.
Alternatively, offer them parts and ask them to read aloud if they can read. That makes it fun and improves their comprehension level tremendously.
3. Select Fun Books
The books you choose will determine whether or not your child enjoys a reading session. Therefore, if you want your kid to enjoy a reading activity, start by selecting fun books that appeal to her interests.
Also, go for age-appropriate books that are easy to understand, so your child can grasp them faster and connect to the book. Finally, once they’re locked in, you should find other books by the same author to keep the momentum going. Here’s a guide to help you find the best books for your child.
4. Allow Your Kids to Choose the Books
Tip #3 is very handy, but sometimes we as parents don’t get it right. So here’s where transformative tip #4 comes into play. If you need help getting your kid to enjoy any book, ask them to make their selections.
Moreover, kids love it when they feel heard, and they’ll participate more when they feel in charge of their book selection. For example, they will definitely enjoy reading activities if they choose their favorite books. So, go with your kids to the bookshop or ask for their opinion before you buy them a book.
5. Be Encouraging
The best way to make reading activities fun is through lots of encouragement. It is easy to lose patience when the kids walk away from reading activities or give you a hard time. But anger and force aren’t always a good solution.
Instead, encourage your kids and bend a few rules to make them comfortable. For example, my article on motivation for hikes explains how allowing the kids to lead the path is beneficial. So, implement the same strategy and allow your kids to switch positions or walk around as they read for motivation.
Also, let them have as many breaks as they want as long as they finish the book or several chapters in a day. The kids will enjoy reading when it feels like a fun activity, not a chore.
According to a Tweet by Christopher Peak, Kids in the US have been struggling to read and have been for years. This isn’t a unique problem to the US as so many kids in other continents like Africa face the same problem.
This is why encouraging kids to read is so important.
6. Create an Exciting Reading Space
The environment matters when making reading activities fun for our kids. For example, if you put the kids in a room with a TV and several toys, they will switch their attention to these distractions. Therefore, create an attractive reading space that encourages them to engage in reading activities.
For bedtime stories, dim bedroom lights and silence work perfectly. However, you’ll need a section of your living room or playroom for daytime reading activities. Team up with your kids to design the reading space using beanbags, nooks, reading lamps, cute tables, and wall art.
Let them know that the space is fully dedicated to family reading activities. In fact, if you’re up for it, ask them to help you establish rules for the space. For example, no noise, no TVs or video games during the reading sessions, and reading aloud is encouraged.
7. Incorporate Various Reading Resources
Reading for kids should go beyond regular story times, especially if you want to make it fun. Apart from well-written kid stories, you should incorporate other resources, such as poems, audiobooks, oral tales, activity books, and picture books. I have a great resource on activity books explaining what they are and when’s the right time to introduce them; you should check it out.
By diversifying their reading resources, you eliminate monotonous reading, which gets boring over time. Furthermore, they’ll build their creativity by learning to tell stories through writing, pictures, and audio.
8. Find Additional Help
These tips are highly effective, but what happens if they don’t work for your child? Or time is running out, but you’re too busy to implement one tip at a time. Don’t worry; there’s always a solution for everything, and tutors come in handy here.
If your kids respond poorly to reading activities, find additional help. Tutors are great because they have the expertise to deal with kids of all ages and know the right activities to encourage reading.
Ask for recommendations from parents in your friend circle or playgroup. Alternatively, visiting your local library or asking a teacher will lead you to the perfect tutor. But remember, although tutors are life savers, you must also show interest in your child’s progress.
9. Lead by Example
As parents, we know that our kids look up to us 100%. Usually, a child will emulate their parent’s behavior without hesitation because you’re their favorite person and role model. So, lead by example if you want to make reading activities fun for your kids.
Turn the reading activities into a family affair, and have everyone grab their favorite book. But even better, let your kids observe as you maintain a consistent reading culture. They will likely follow in your footsteps when your kids see you reading different books and adding to your book collection.
As you’ll notice in this article about sensory books, reading provides exceptional benefits for your child from an early age. Therefore, it’s important to encourage positive reading habits. Hopefully, these tips will make it fun for you and your child.
