5 Easy Ways to Make Reading FUN!

It’s something I hear a lot: my kid hates reading.

Truth be told, reading is like anything else in this world in that not everyone LOVES it! My husband is a good example: when we first met, he owned only a couple of books that weren’t math textbooks. One was Night by Elie Wiesel, and the other was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle. Both are excellent books, and I’m fairly certain he has never actually read either of them. But that’s okay, he’s a numbers guy. He likes math and crunching numbers, where I’m likely to cry in a corner if you ask me to do long-division.

So what can we do to help a kid who is a “numbers guy”, or those who get overwhelmed when they’re faced with a book full of text? Yes- you CAN make reading fun, and bring these reluctant readers out of their shells! Here are five EASY WAYS you can help bring the party to reading!

TIP #1: LET THEM PICK THE BOOK

So maybe it’s not quite the “level” the teacher has suggested. THAT IS OKAY. Remember we are trying to encourage reading for fun here! Growing up, my sister only wanted to read travel books and Better Homes & Gardens, and that smarty-pants ended up a cardiology nurse practitioner. The world will not spin off of it’s axis if your child chooses a book at the library that does not match the sheet his/her teacher sent home. Let them choose books that interest them for their fun reading!

TIP #2: PUT TOGETHER A SUPER-COZY READING AREA

This doesn’t have to be complicated, so don’t spend three hours pinning fancy book corners on Pinterest that you’re never going to actually want to attempt. It just has to be somewhere that your child wants to be! A hammock between two trees. A nice, squishy papasan chair with an adjacent book basket. Maybe a fun hanging curtain over some over-stuffed pillows, so that they have a space that really feels like theirs. If they are old enough to do so, ask them to help you design something! The more involved they are, the more they’ll truly want to be in the space.

TIP #3: START A TRADITION TOGETHER

Read some amazing comic books like Calvin or Hobbes together. Read a recipe, and bake a treat mentioned in a book your child read this week. Enjoy a magazine as a family (Highlights is a favorite with my preschooler). Start a mother/daughter book club where you drink cocoa and discuss the book you both read that week. Read an adventure guide together, and try some of the tips/tricks mentioned. There are so many great ways to start a fun reading tradition as a family!

TIP #4: DONATE TO OTHER KIDS

They will have their favorites they’ll read again and again (mine are Little House on the Prairie and Harry Potter), but kids outgrow books! And I get it, your shelves are overflowing. It’s a great idea to change their books out seasonally (perhaps when you are changing out their closets?) so that they have new books to enjoy. So what to do with the old ones? Your child can help you select books to donate to places like homeless shelters, churches, Head Start centers, or local resources that work with families. Or bundle some books to give to friends with new babies! This is a wonderful way to introduce your child to helping service others.

TIP #5: TRY AN ACTIVITY

Some kids just really need to be DOING something! Take turns reading a story, and then try an activity pairing! Sometimes this can be something like, “illustrate a scene from the chapter we read”. Or maybe we get the cookbook back out. Encourage your child to journal about what they’re reading if they like to write. Or draw a comic panel, if they love comics. Planning a vacation? Let your map-loving child plan a route or study up on the location with some brochures.

If your child has access to screen time, you can use that to help make reading fun, too! Older children could develop an ad for something they saw on television, or watch some informative shows like a news program (followed with discussion or journaling). There are lots of fun reading apps for your tablet device (if you have a preschooler, we love Endless Alphabet and Teach Your Monster to Read); you could download an eBook for your child to check out, too. There are tons of free ones available at your digital library! Google or Pinterest can help you find some activities to pair with your child’s allotted screen time.

I always say, no child hates reading, they just haven’t found the right thing to read yet! Reading is the key to EVERYTHING; since it is such a necessary skill, I think it’s important to make it something your child wants to do, every day!

If you enjoyed these tips, make sure to like and comment below! I’d love to hear what other ideas you’d add to this list.