Three Ideas for Fun Family Reading Time

Reading opens up the world to our children by creating the foundation for further education. Reading also provides a means for diving into topics of interest, escaping to fantasy worlds, or exploring times and places children wouldn’t otherwise experience. If your child is a reluctant reader, you may be looking for ways to demonstrate that reading is fun, not a chore. 

Check out these three ideas to up the fun in family reading time:

1. Keep Squirmy Listeners Busy During Read-Alouds

Some children simply don’t like to sit still. Reading seems like a chore when they would rather climb trees, wrestle with siblings, or dance to their favorite tunes. Providing a project to work on while listening to a read-aloud or audiobook allows restless readers to settle down and lose themselves in the story. Providing colored pencils and paper for art enthusiasts or blocks and building toys for young inventors may keep hands busy, allowing minds to engage with the story, and making reading time fun.

2. Try Out a Fun, New Reading Location

Look for reading spots that turn reading into an adventure by reenacting settings from the book. Toss a tablecloth over a table and snuggle up with some pillows in your make-shift cave to read about a bear family. Or, spread a picnic blanket in the backyard to recline while reading about outdoor adventures. Take your book on the road by heading to the beach and enjoying a summery tale on the sand. Reading in a new location makes reading even more fun!

3. Engage in a Fun, Book-Related Project

Instead of simply reading a book, up the reading fun by engaging in the story. If the story you are reading involves a food item, such as stone soup, a mountain of spaghetti, or chocolate chip cookies, add another dimension to your reading by creating that food with your child. Does the main character in your book make a trip through a forest? Begin or end your reading time with a nature walk through the woods. Stories become more than just words on a page when children can engage with the story through their senses, making reading fun at home.Fostering a love of reading in our children provides them with tools to keep learning, growing, and experiencing life. There are many wonderful ways to help our children enjoy reading and develop a love of learning. LightSail for Reading at Home provides thousands of engaging books and audiobooks to keep children excited about reading.