Make Reading Fun: 4 Creative Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Read

School breaks and time spent out of the classroom may mean less formal class settings and more outdoor exploration time, but it also means children have an opportunity to learn, grow and to stimulate their minds.

Encourage your child to read during school breaks by making it fun. These four creative (yet simple) ideas will capture your child’s attention and keep them engaged in their reading. Grab a book for you and yours - it’s time to put your reading hat on and have some fun!

1. Pop an audiobook into the car or listen to a podcast during short rides to and from school and extracurricular activities, or on weekend road trips.

2. Create a family book club. Pick short, fun books everyone can relate to. Then have casual discussions about the book - whether it be a specific event in the story, how the characters may feel, or what you think will happen next. This can also be applied to a friend book club with classmates, siblings, friends, or teammates. The goal is to create camaraderie and to bond through educational topics. 

3. Read a book, watch a movie - then compare and contrast. You can create excitement by experiencing how books are made into movies. Choose a book during the day and watch the movie at night.

4. Since younger kids are often enthusiastic about characters, consider making or purchasing character costumes to recreate the book's energy, or reward the character upon completion of the book. 

These simple ways of enabling reading, whether during school breaks or school year, create enthusiasm for kids to make reading fun.