Looking for ideas on getting your kids interested in reading? Then make it a family activity. Here are some ideas from The National Book Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education and Civitas.
1. Use books in family games.
For example, play charades with book titles or characters. Turn studying for a school test or book report into a game by creating your own trivia game.
2. Take family outings to the library.
Have every family member check out one book. Visit the library on reading days or during other children’s events. Set a goal to read a book a week, then take the book back and get a new one.
3. Start a family reading night in your family
This time should be where you can read and discuss a book together. Getting kids off of electronics is good for their brains, unless they are reading on those screens. However, if you can get your child to a paper book it’s better for their eyes and brains.
4. Have the kids act out their favorite books.
Kids love performing plays and drama skits—incorporate that into their book reading. Have them read a book, choose their favorite scene, and then recreate it for the family.
5. Simply read to your children.
You will both benefit from the time spent together. And your children will benefit from stretching their imagination and learning new things. Even infants will benefit from listening to you read, looking at the pictures in books and spending time with you.
6. Encourage daily reading.
Keep plenty of books throughout the house or on iPads. Set aside a few bookshelves just for children’s books and begin building up a home library for them. Keep books in the car and in your children’s travel bags, and encourage reading during waiting times (even outside the house, such as at the doctor’s office). Or let them read from an iPad, just make sure they aren’t playing games instead.
7. For toddlers and preschoolers, engage them in the storytelling.
Have them talk about the pictures they see in the books. Let them tell their own version of the story. Ask questions about what is going on in the story. Using AI to create stories together is also a fun exercise.
Be a role model for your kids by being an avid reader yourself and by letting your children see you treat books with care.
Sound off: How do you encourage reading in your house?
Sources:
Huddle up with your kid and ask, “What kind of stories do you like best?”