6 Activities to Develop Good Reading Habits in Kids

6 Activities to Develop Good Reading Habits in Kids

Reading can enrich your children’s lives in so many ways. It inspires their imagination, it enhances their ability to focus, and it helps them develop a good habit that will bring them joy and boost their academic success. That’s how amazing reading is!

It's never too early to introduce reading to your child. If you encourage reading and present it as a fun and fulfilling activity, you'll get your child on board with book-reading.

However, turning reading into a habit can be a challenge. To help you (and your little one) tackle that challenge, we have prepared some useful tips that are perfect for developing reading habits.

reading every day can help build habits!

1. Turn it into an everyday activity

Children won’t be able to create a bond with reading if they don’t do it regularly.

They are still developing their long-term memory, so if you don’t make reading a daily thing, they’ll quickly move on and find another activity to enjoy.

Until they are ready to read on their own, you can read to your children bedtime stories every night before bed. It is a perfect way to relax and show your children how magical reading can be.

2. Play around with reading out loud

Reading out loud will be much more fun and special if you add a unique twist to it. That twist is using different voices!

Rather than just blandly reading sentence by sentence, get quirky with it and give each character a voice and personality. Read in high pitch, low pitch, use an angry voice, and an excited voice to create an immersive experience to engage their imagination.

It may seem silly and childish, but that's what will draw your kids into the story. Voices and sounds are what can help you bring the story to life and make your kids more interested in reading.

If they can read on their own, spend some quality time together by reading and acting out stories. You'll have an amazing time and laugh like crazy, which will only add to your children's positive association with reading.

3. Talk about what they have read

Show interest in what your child is reading. Ask them to share their thoughts about the book, and they'll realize that reading also brings new topics to talk about.

You can look at this activity as your own personal book club. You can chat about what your child liked and disliked about the book or whatever they want to share.

In addition to boosting their comprehension skills, this can also come in handy for working on their writing skills. Diana Adjadj, an inspired writer at TrustMyPaper recommends: “Ask your child to write down their impression of the book. They can write about anything from their favorite character to coming up with a different ending. By the time your child needs to write a term paper, they will already be great at thinking outside of the box and expressing themselves in writing.”

create a reading corner for your child

4. Create a reading corner

Organize and assemble a reading corner that will tempt your child to get comfy and take a book. They can be the ones who will be in charge of this activity which will give them additional motivation for making the most out of their reading corner. We have a beautiful collection of bookcases from classic shapes to cactus shapes to fit any room decor!

You can stack up comfy cushions or poufs on the ground and throw a bunch of pillows. Put all of their books in bookcases that will be within their reach once they settle in the reading corner.

Make this place comfy and magical, and your kid will be much more motivated to read regularly!

Don't hold back from letting their favorite toys tag along to the reading corner. They'll have their favorite companions to keep them company while they snuggle up among a bunch of pillows and embark on a new adventure.

5. Pick new books regularly

There is a plethora of children's books with a variety of topics so that every child can pursue their curiosities. When they like what they read, they’ll be less hesitant to read daily.

Turn a trip to a local library or a book store into a regular activity. You can do it weekly to motivate your child to finish the book before you head out to get a new one.

Let them pick whichever book they want. Encourage them to try out different genres to find what suits them most.

However, try to navigate them towards books that are suitable for their age. If they try to read a book with complex wording, they can easily get discouraged.

Read with your kids!

6. Read together

Children look up to their parents. Moreover, they model their behavior. This is your opportunity to show your child that reading is a great habit.

Make reading your joint activity. While you read your book, they can read theirs. A mother of two and a senior writer at Supreme Dissertations, Angela Baker, shared how her love for books motivated her children to start reading.

“My children’s first memory of me was probably me reading a book. We have so many books in the house that it evoked curiosity in my kids to find out for themselves what makes me so attached to those paper bundles. Now, our favorite activity is to snuggle up and read books together,” said Amanda.

Even if you aren’t much of a book reader, read magazines and newspapers. Show them that reading is important, and you’ll be contributing to your children’s perception of it.

With the right activities and actions, your child will be able to recognize how amazing reading is. They might not be aware of the possibilities that reading brings, but that's why they have you. Open the door to the magical world of reading and your child will be more than happy to walk inside it.

Post by Nicole Garrison