6 Creative and Effective Ways to Make Reading Fun for Your Kids

By Sailaja Joshi

As parents, we all want our kids to read and actually enjoy it. There are just so many benefits for children that read on a regular basis. Just to mention a few, reading helps to build vocabulary, imagination, and memory.

Unfortunately, some kids might not actually find reading as fun as us parents think it is. So it is our job as parents to make it fun. In this article, we have some tips to help you make reading fun for your kids and hopefully create lifelong readers.

With younger children, it can be difficult to keep their attention for more than a couple of minutes. Use fun and silly voices when you’re reading a story and change the pitch of your voice. This will help to keep their attention and enjoy the way their parents read to them.

Let Them Choose

One big issue that most children struggle with is not being given the chance to make decisions. Letting your child choose the book they want to read will help keep them interested in reading and build their independence as well.

If your child would like to read a comic or storybook rather than a book with no pictures, let them.

Reading should be enjoyable for you and them as well. There may be times that you have to persuade them to choose a book without pictures, but it will help to let them choose from time to time.

Involve Others

Every child has a favorite person in their family other than their parents. This person is usually a grandparent or an aunt or uncle or it may even be a cousin. Whoever this person may be, ask them to also read with your child. This will show them that even fun adults do read books and enjoy it.

You can also take your child to the local library. Many of them offer a reading circle or reading hour where someone will come and read fun books to your children. This can also show your children how many other children enjoy reading or being read to as well.

Get Creative

Just like with everything else that comes with parenting, you need to get creative with your approach sometimes. Let's be honest, we have all tried something out of the box to get our children to try something new!

Listening to an audiobook can technically count as reading, and it can help your child imagine the book as well.

They can sit and imagine the setting, the characters, and all of the other aspects of the book. It will also make it more enjoyable than sitting and holding a book that has no pictures to help them visualize the story.

If you have more than one child, it would be fun to have them write a short story. Whether it's on their own or with your help, you can show them that anyone can create a story. After all, one of the best parts of reading is going to another place or time.

Once the short stories are written, read them aloud to the whole family, or swap between children and allow them to read themselves if they are able to.

Then hold a little meeting and talk about their favorite parts of each story. This is also a great way to boost your children's self-esteem.

Routine

Many parents have different routines, whether it is a daily routine or just a bedtime routine. Routines just seem to work for most children.

Incorporating reading into your child's routines can help your child expect and enjoy reading. It may be challenging at first to add something new into a routine, but eventually, they will be reading as if it was always natural.

You can choose to read a book at bedtime each night, or during bath time if that is when your child likes to relax.

Also, try setting aside time each day that your child can sit down and read with you without interruption. If interruptions happen, that is perfectly fine. Just show your child that they can pick up right where they left off in their book.

Personal Space

Many children enjoy having their own space for things. Some children like to have their own space to play with their toys, or they like to sit somewhere by the television or at the dinner table.

If your child likes their own space, you may want to consider creating a special reading space for your child.

You can revamp a corner in their room, or place a comfortable chair near a window. Many children like to have some control over their lives - it is just human nature and a healthy, normal part of gaining independence.

You can also buy a tent or teepee and make it a special place just for reading. Add pillows inside and a battery-operated lamp or have a flashlight – the possibilities to make it fun is truly endless!

Conclusion

We hope that this list has given you some creative ideas to get your child more interested in reading. Every child is different though, and if your child seems to struggle with reading, you may want to consider getting them a tutor. If they are reading by themselves out loud and struggle with words, offer them help.

Help them sound out the word or explain the word if they seem confused. Don’t push your frustration onto your children and allow them to fall in love with reading naturally and at their own comfortable pace. May your children become avid and excited readers for life!