6 Ways to Get Kids Reading Books - 3 Printable Activities

World Book day is 23 April!

Here are our best suggestions for promoting reading in your home.  See our free downloads below to encourage your kids to read more.

1) MAKE READING FUN

• Keep a reading log. It’s a fun way for competitive kids to keep track!
• Have in-home reading days with popcorn, jammies, and hot-from-the-oven cookies.
• Find books your kids enjoy.

Download our free printable Reading Log here to keep track of books your kids have read and get them to rate their books.

 2) SET UP A CULTURE OF READING

• Schedule free-read times, early in the morning or late in the afternoon, while they are still sleepy, or after they have already played actively.
• Keep check of that TV, phone & tablet time. Kids will rarely turn off the TV in favour of reading (or living life, for that matter), but will often look for a book if they have lots of free time.
• Try Audio Books. We’ve found audio books to be a great alternative to TV; they entertain and require imagination.

 3) OWN GREAT BOOKS!

• I can’t tell you how important this is. We love the library, but nothing beats a restless child with a shelf full of great books.
• Make the space for books. Add a few shelves with books in their room or reading corner.
• Go on book hunts together. Kids love choosing their own books.

4) CHALLENGE YOUR KIDS TO READ WITH ACTIVITIES

• Introduce your kids to the Reading Challenge to find and read books on the challenge list.
• Dress-up as book characters - Encourage kids to dress up as their favourite book characters 

Download our free printable Reading Challenge here to keep them moving from book to book. See if they can complete the challenge or get 5 in a row.

5) READ ALOUD TO GET YOUR KIDS

• Reading aloud allows your kids to enjoy books that tell a great story but are far beyond their own ability to read.
• I love reading aloud to my kids. It’s bonding experience, it allows them to experience books they may naturally shy away from, and it encourages discussion.
• Choose read-alouds that allow you to model fluent reading. Practise reading speed, accuracy, punctuation & expression. Kids will love your different melodramatic voices and accents!

 6) ASK QUESTIONS WHILE THEY READ TO YOU

• Talking to your children about the books they read is one of the best ways to support your child’s literacy development and critical thinking.
• Ask questions like "Why did you choose this book? Can you catch me up on the story? Who are the characters? What would you do if you were this character? What do you think will happen next?" Get them thinking about what they are reading.
• Get them to write a book report & rate it.

Download our free printable Book Report here to engage critical thinking and comprehension when reading.

DOWNLOAD Reading worksheets by clicking on the below links.

1. Reading Log - Download here

2. Reading Challenge - Download here

3. Book Report- Download here

FINAL THOUGHTS on getting kids to read...

Habits are caught, not taught. Make time to read YOURSELF and model this behaviour for your kids. Whether its a magazine, book or comic strip!

Thinking kids are reading kids. Reading informs, changes perspective and entertains. With a little effort on the part of parents, reading can be a joy for children.

Let's get reading!