Do you have children who are learning to read? Today I’m excited to share with you some tips to make reading fun for kids and help instill a love of reading in your children, as well as, an online learning program that my little readers have highly enjoyed. This post is sponsored, so extra thanks for reading.
Educator and published author Rafe Esquith wrote in his book Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire, “Teaching our children to read well and helping them develop a love of reading should be our top priorities. I want my students to love to read. Reading is not a subject. Reading is a foundation of life, an activity that people who are engaged with the world do all the time.”
As a mother, teacher, and avid reader myself, I couldn’t agree more! Hi, I’m Jennifer, a mother to three young children and a regular contributor here at 5 Minutes for Mom.
Did you know that if a child is exposed to 30 minutes of literacy activities every day, that adds up to over 3,285 hours by the time they reach the age of 18?
Yes, just 30 minutes each day of reading to your child, having them read independently, or engaging them in a literacy activity of some form adds up to thousands of hours outside of school. There’s no doubt of the impact those extra hours could have on a child’s academic success.
We all know how important reading is, but what practical steps can you take as a parent to help your child develop a love of reading? How do you encourage your child to read? What can you do to make reading fun? Here’s an acronym with ideas to get you started!
Tips for Making R-e-a-d-i-n-g FUN!
- Read. Read to your children. Start when they are infants and continue reading to them even up to an age when they can read to you. Most of my public school teaching experience was teaching 4th graders. Each year there were a few students who struggled to read at that age, but most had reached a level of independence by 4th grade. I cannot even count the number of times a parent asked whether or not it was still appropriate for them to read to their child at home. My answer: It’s not just appropriate, but it is one of the most meaningful things you can do.
When reading becomes a shared experience, it brings delight and pleasure to books. The simple act of reading can build memories, as well as, minds.
- Engage. Bring books to life by engaging your children in experiences centered around the books they are reading. Consider this a complete immersion into reading.
Did your child just finish a non-fiction book on the solar system? Take a trip to a local planetarium. Are they reading the Little House on the Prairie book series? Make homemade candles or butter. Cook, travel, and craft your way through books they’re reading and that will help make reading fun for kids.
- App-ly. Yes, there are quality apps out there that make reading fun for kids. When my kids want to use their devices, I’m extremely selective about how they spend that time.
Educational apps/programs are a priority. Recently my kids tried Reading Eggs.
Have you heard about it?Reading Eggs is an online reading program for ages 2-13 that’s been developed by expert educators. Over 91% percent of parents have noticed improvements in their child’s reading within just weeks of using the program.
I’ve personally witnessed its success with my own children. Even my youngest was quickly learning letters, sounds, and sight words. And the online library with over 2,500 books had my oldest daughter completely engaged and excited to read.
Click here to learn more about this outstanding program and try it yourself with a 4 week FREE trial!
- Demonstrate. Show your children how enjoyable books can be. A parent’s attitude about reading strongly affects their child’s interest.
Let your children see you reading. And I’m not just talking about reading for work. Let them see you reading for pleasure. Going back to the first tip, pick out books to read together. It’s not just a cliche. Parents really do lead by example.
- Interest. Get your child interested in reading by letting them choose their own books. Guide them towards books that fit their interests and uphold your family’s values, but let them have a deciding voice.
Did they just finish a book they loved? Find another by the same author. Does your child love horses? A non-fiction book on caring for horses or a fictional tale about a wild mustang would be ideal. Maybe you can even follow up the books with a trip to a local horse farm. That’s sure to peek their interest!
- eNvironment. Create an environment that’s conducive to reading. Designate a cozy corner, nook, or quiet space in your home as the reading area. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you’d like.
Simply add a few comfy pillows or go all out with a reading fort or tent complete with baskets of books, bookmarks, snacks, and more! A special reading spot can be a wonderful way to make reading fun for kids. Curate a collection of books in your home that stretches across multiple genres and is easily accessible to the kids.
- Go. Visit the library frequently. The library is an experience that completely immerses children into the world of books. They can read, be exposed to new genres, and pick books that fit their interests. And it’s free!
Many libraries even host events, festivals, and reading programs that the kids can get involved with. Can’t visit the library that week? Be sure to check out the digital library of e-books that Reading Eggs has.
And speaking of Reading Eggs, here are a few more fun features available through this exciting program.
How Reading Eggs Can Make Reading Fun For Kids
- Online library of over 2,500 e-books
- Accessible on a desktop, iPhone, iPads, and Android device.
- Bright, colorful graphics
- Fun literacy games on letters, phonics, sight words, reading comprehension, and more!
- Assessments that place your child at the appropriate level. This feature allows them to feel both challenged and successful with the program.
- Rewards — golden reading eggs — that can be earned and spent on extra games or items for their avatar or virtual house.
Reading Eggs is offering all 5 Minutes for Mom readers a FREE 4 week trial period so you can see how it works for your child.
Giveaway
Get excited! Reading Eggs is giving away a FREE 12-month subscription to two of our awesome readers. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. or Canada. Leave us a comment sharing any tips your have for making reading fun for kids. Then complete your entry by following the directions in the giveaway box below.
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Reading Eggs.
Written by Jennifer Dawn, contributor here at 5 Minutes for Mom, and the blogger behind The Life of Jennifer Dawn.
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i read to my babies before they could even talk, now they both enjoy it themselves without any push from me.
WOW! MACHINES… MACHINES… MACHINES… What happen to the good old fashion way with one on one! 🙁 Oh well, sign of the times as they say! Thank you so much for stopping by and I promise to stop by more often. You really look like you have great stuff over here so I have to browse… ~hehehe~ You don’t mind do ya??? Now, I shall pass this to my daughter.. (The NightOwlMama – she’s my No. 1 baby out of 4), and she’ll pass them to her children who have children that will be soon learning how to read. Yep, all that means my great grandson!!! BUT I’M TO YOUNG FOR THIS!!!! ~hehehe~ No, seriously I really am. She made me a grandmother at 37 yrs. old and then No. 1 handsome grandson made me a great grandma at 63… hmmmm or was it 64? NO FAIR!!!! ahhh what’s in a number!!! HAHAHA No problem I shall share! HUGS AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, BUT MOST OF ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL “HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY”!!!
I found all sorts of free great aps online to use with the autistic young man I teach at home. I would LOVE to win this to use for him! I think I’ll sign up for the free trial! Thanks and God Bless!
First and foremost share your love of reading. Let your kids see you read and find books that will spark their passion to read.
It’s better to not push it too young. Schools want kids to read at an age when many of them aren’t yet actually ready. It sets them up to have a difficult road to reading rather than to like it.
I think just visiting the library and letting them have the exposure there & by having lots of environmental print in your house can make reading fun for kids. They are very likely to pick up on a lot of words and symbols that way. We like to point out store names, road signs, etc.
We do the summer reading program with the library for the kids every year and they earn rewards
Start early and make books fun, like toys.
My biggest thing for getting kids into reading is to read what they enjoy. Do not force materials they are not interested in or all you do is stress them and they shut down. Make it fun, read to them with animation.
To make reading fun we set goals and make it a bonding time- I or my husband snuggle up with them when our kids are reading or being read to by us. We also let them pick where they want to read (we have lots of great places, even a reading nook with beanbag chairs and book shelves full of fun books. My oldest is 6 and just learned to read this year and my youngest is getting read to read, but enjoys sharing reading time with everyone.
we’ve tried to make sure they have access to television and computer instruction in case they get shy
Finding fun books to read
We try to go to all the great library programs we can!
Reading them in funny voices.
I take my kids to the library and let them pick out books that interest them.
Thank you for the great tips, some of my tried and worked methods are by getting books on topics interested in, setting aside few minutes for reading on playdates, rewarding once they have mastered their spellings and pronunciation.
I have found that writing notes to my child encourages him to read.
The key for my kids has been making books accessible that fit their interests. They each have their own library of books that were picked out specifically for them and their passions. We have also learned that books aren’t the only medium for getting our kids reading. My oldest son struggled with reading but loved fixing tractors with his dad, so we would keep the catalogs from tractor supply stores for him to flip through. He was so excited to read about all the different parts available for sale and even discovered a few great deals! It really showed him how practical reading is and made him want to read more!
we read everynite before bedtime,,i read to them and then let them read to me
I used to let my kids pick out a book each evening to sit and read. My Daughter now does this with her Son.
I try to pick out books with colorful pictures and topics that I think my kids would like.
We make going to the library an adventure. It makes my daughter so excited and helps her to love books.
My daughter recently showed interest in superheroes. So we updated our book collection with her favorites like Spiderman and Hulk and she loves to read them every night.
I need tips! It’s a struggle trying to get my daughter to read!
Finding books they really enjoy helps them want to read.
New books that what they like
I have no idea we have a first time reader starting, soooo I’ll be looking for tips in the comments haha. We do have her read the words she knows already while we read to her and she always tells us a story back to us without reading, it’s fun to see what she remembers about the pictures.
We have family story time where each child takes a turn presenting a book and we ask questions… makes them feel like a teacher 🙂
My local library has a program where kids can go and read to dogs. This is a great way to get kids to practice reading.
I get my son to quiz me on words. He likes to be the teacher!
We introduce a variety of new books often for my daughter.
I find getting books and magazines on topics they love helps so much!! Also, read with them when they are most optimal like first thing in the morning.
These tips are so great, especially how to apply topics we have read by doing activities related. Thank you! I have a 4.5 year old that we are teaching how to read, and he also loves the reward of using the iPad, so I think something like this app would be a really great addition to what we are doing. I’ll check it out, thanks! I’d love it if you would check out this book we are using to teach reading, it’s very no prep which I like with 3 kids under 5. You can find it here: https://blueandhazel.com/how-to-teach-your-kid-to-read-with-an-easy-step-by-step-book Great post.
We get the kids to pick their books themselves so they will pick something that they are interested in which will encourage them to read the book that they picked themselves.
My daughter loves playing games to help learn to read, like letter or sight word bingo! She also gets very excited to read me words she recognizes when we’re out shopping or running errands.
One thing my kids really enjoyed was the various summer reading programs that awarded them prizes. They also loved buying their own books at the library’s annual used book sale.
I struggle with reading with my son because it was my worst subject in school but we randomly point at words to see if he can read them while we are out here seems to enjoy it
Go to storytime, select bedtime reading books which are special, read everyday and concentrate on the characters, their antics and the pictures. For older kids have them pick out books which appeal to them for the stories and the settings and their own interests. Sports, travel, school and start a book collection.