Are you wondering how to make reading fun for your child? Whether you have children who are reluctant or struggling readers or are simply wanting to help your child fall even more in love with books, there are many strategies you can use to help your child experience the joy of reading.
Reading doesn’t have to be a struggle for you or for your kid, so here are 25 ways to make reading fun for children…and if you’re lucky, make their reading more fun for you as well!
1. Choose the Right Books
When you’re wondering how to make reading more enjoyable, one of the first things you should consider is if you are choosing the right books.
The “right” books don’t always look the same for every child, but instead are personalized to your specific child’s needs and what they like best. Picking the right books means finding out what kinds of stories they love (science fiction, adventure, etc.) or choosing books about their interests (planes, animals, food, etc.).
When you choose books that your child is interested in, it can be much easier to get them to actually sit down and read the books. After all, if it’s about something they already like, they’re that much more likely to want to read it rather than being forced to read it.
2. Let Your Child Choose What to Read
Alternatively, another option when it comes to how to make reading more fun for your kid is to let your child choose what they read.
Letting your child choose helps them to feel like they are in control of what they read, instead of feeling like they are being forced to read. If you have specific books you want your child to read, you don’t have to let them choose their books all the time. But letting them choose at least some of the time helps them to feel emotionally invested in what they are reading.
3. Encourage All Types of Reading
It can be easy to fall into the trap of feeling like your child needs to be reading “real” things, aka “real books.” And while of course parents hope their children will love reading actual books, if you’re trying to find how to make reading fun for struggling readers then you’ll want to steer away from this frame of mind.
Instead, encourage all forms of reading. That includes reading comics, magazines, graphic novels, or even newspapers if your child is so inclined. After all, reading is reading…and if your child’s attention can be captured by the adventures of Calvin and Hobbes or any other short form of reading, then you’re well on your way to getting them hooked!
Sometimes the shorter reading formats can feel less daunting for your child, and allowing them the freedom to read shorter articles, comics, etc. can help boost their love of reading and launch them into the reading life you so desire for them.
4. Read Aloud
Another option for how to make reading fun at home is to read aloud with your children.
As you read aloud, use different voices for the different characters or change the volume of your voice to fit the scene. For example, if the characters need to be quiet, use a hushed tone. Or be loud if the characters are yelling. Whatever the characters are doing in the story, act it out.
This is sure to entertain your children, no matter their ages. And pretty soon you’ll find they’ll be begging for “one more chapter!” or for more read aloud time with you!
5. Read Together as a Family
Similarly to reading aloud, reading together as a family can make reading time more special for your kids. And if something feels more special, they’re more likely to be excited by it!
Whether your family looks like multiple kids, parents, grandparents, or whatever your family setup may be, gathering the whole family for set-aside reading time will also show you place an importance and value on reading.
Reading together as a family (and possibly even taking turns reading aloud!) is sure to make reading time into a fun activity for everyone.
6. Sign Up for a Library Card
As a kid, the day I got to sign up for my very first library card of my own was one of the most special moments of my life. It’s a rite of passage, a symbol of being “grown up” enough to have your own card, and a passport to the unlimited worlds contained in the books of the library.
If your kid is somewhat interested in reading already, taking them to get their very own library card can be an excellent way to boost their interest in reading and is one of the best ways to make reading fun again. They are sure to be excited to get to use their very own card to check out their new books from the library!
7. Take a Trip to the Library
Whether your kid already has their own library card or is still using yours, taking a trip to the library can be an excellent way to get them excited again about reading.
Going to the library is one of the best ideas for making reading fun for struggling readers, because it’s like a whole world to explore inside. There are so many books you can walk around, pick up, look at, and decide if you want to read…and turning a trip to the library into a fun excursion is the perfect way to make reading feel like a treat!
8. Create the Perfect Reading Space
Another idea for how to make reading enjoyable for kids is to create the perfect reading space.
The “perfect reading space” can look different for different kids, or even different for different books they’re reading. It could look like creating a reading fort or window reading nook for general book reading fun, or you could choose to customize it to the theme of the book instead.
For instance, if the book is set in space, you could help your child create a spaceship (out of boxes or other materials around the house). If the book takes place by a river, maybe try to find time to go to a river or body of water nearby.
Of course, reading in the space the book is set in isn’t always possible, but it can be fun when it is. And in all other cases, having a cozy space set up with pillows and blankets for reading can help encourage your kid to get comfortable and enjoy their book.
9. Act Out the Story
If you’re struggling with how to make reading fun for students or your children, then acting out the story is another possibility to make the books come to life.
If you have multiple kids, you can assign them all a character and they can choose props from around the house to make them into that specific character. Or if it’s just you and one kid, you can take turns being different characters in the story.
But acting out what they’re reading can be a great way to get them more actively listening to or reading the story, and can also be a fun reading break if they’re having trouble sitting still for long periods of time while reading.
10. Read Books That Relate to Upcoming Experiences
Are there upcoming experiences at school or in your family life that your child will soon encounter? If so, then picking books that go with those experience themes can be a great way to both prepare your child for something new as well as getting them to read.
Making connections between books and their real life experience can help your child feel like reading is more integrated in their life. So if you know they’ll be going on a field trip to the zoo soon, then reading books about the zoo or about different zoo animals would be awesome. Or if you’ll be going camping soon, finding fiction or non-fiction books about camping could be the perfect motivation for your child to read prior to their camping experience.
When real life and reading meet, your child is more likely to be engaged and excited about the books they are reading, so this is a win-win situation!
11. Make Food Found in Books
Another exciting idea for how to make reading more interesting is to make food found in books! I still have vivid memories of some of the foods I read about in books and wanted to try, and the times I got to try the foods are also embedded in my mind…for good or for bad (Harry Potter, what possessed you to make treacle tart your favorite dessert?! There are SO many better desserts out there).
Making food and treats mentioned in books is a fantastic way to bring the books to life and help your kids identify with characters in books or experience the world of the book brought to life! There are lots of literary cookbooks out there, so it’s easy to find a recipe book to follow for many of the most popular books and authors.
You and your child can even make the recipes together and talk about the book while you make them! So if you’re wondering about fun reading activities you can do with your children, then this should definitely be on your list. After all, what’s more fun than an activity you get to do together and then eat together too?
12. Create Themed Experiences from Books
If you want to take making books come to life to the next level, then taking it a step beyond just cooking food related to the book and instead making it into a whole themed experience can be fun for you, your kids, and the whole family!
Sometimes this might look like taking a field trip, and sometimes this might look like staying home and throwing a themed party (for just your family or perhaps for your kid and their friends sometimes too).
For instance, if you’ve just finished reading How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, you could go on a field trip to go apple picking and then make an apple pie together.
Or, after reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone you could throw a Harry Potter themed party, dress up in robes like wizards and witches, and set up decor from the books (like hanging a brick tablecloth in a doorway and pretending it’s the entrance into Platform 9 ¾).
The possibilities are endless and limited only by your imagination! But one thing is sure, doing this is sure to get your child involved in and excited about the books they’re reading. And they will definitely remember these themed experiences and all you did for them for the rest of their life!
13. Join a Book Club
If your child reads sometimes but needs a little external motivation to read more, then having them join a book club could be a great option.
Because book clubs are group activities, joining one gives your child the opportunity to connect with their peers, read together, and discuss what they’re reading. This can be good motivation to keep up with their reading!
And, if that’s not enough motivation, there’s nothing like a little peer pressure to get them to read the book club books. After all, no one wants to be the only kid that didn’t do the reading…
But there are also many benefits of being in book clubs (for both kids and adults), so joining a book club can be a great way to grow your kid as a reader and as a person!
14. Start a Series
Another brilliant option for how to make reading interesting for children (and how to make reading fun for high schoolers, elementary students, and honestly students and kids of all ages) is to start a series.
If you can find a series they might be interested in and give them the first book to read (or read the first book with them, for younger or more reluctant readers), then you are set for worrying about their reading for a while. Because if they love the first book in the series, they’re going to want to read all the rest of the books in the series too!
Starting a series hooks them in, and the longer the series the better because you know they won’t want to stop once they’re hooked!
15. Get Fun Bookmarks
For kids motivated by fun things, giving them special or fun bookmarks can be a good motivator. This can be especially true for younger kids.
Because if they like their bookmark, they might be more tempted to open their book to look at it…and once their book is open, they might just find they start reading a little…
Even as an adult, it’s fun to have fun bookmarks to use. Cool bookmarks add just a little bit more joy to any reading experience. And it’s the same with many kids!
There are so many fun bookmark options out there, but if you’re looking for some to get you started then here are owl bookmarks, dinosaur bookmarks, and several other options your kids might enjoy and that you can print out in your own home!
16. Watch the Movie After Reading the Book
If you’re looking for one of the ultimate options of how to make reading fun for kids, then you may want to consider motivating them by telling them they can watch the movie after reading the book.
This works especially well for longer or more complicated books, like Lord of the Rings. While they may already be interested in reading a book like this because it’s fantasy and they’ve heard it’s fun, sometimes the actual reading part can be a bit rough (since it’s long, and there’s some unusual or archaic words, etc.)
But with the motivation that they can watch the movie after they finish each book, they’re more likely to power through and be excited about it!
This works for lots of different book/movie combinations, and can also be a really good way to motivate a child who loves movies but hasn’t yet discovered a love for reading.
17. Use Books As Gifts Instead of Tasks
It’s also important to remember that they way we treat reading is the way our kids will treat reading. If we treat reading like drudgery and a task they have to complete, that is also how they will view it. So remembering to treat books as fun things instead of a task is super important.
One way to do this is to treat books as gifts or as something to look forward to, and you can do this by giving books as gifts for birthdays, Christmas, as rewards for meeting milestones in school, or even by getting book subscription boxes for your kids so they have something to look forward to in the mail.
Making books a treat instead of a punishment or task to be endured is sure to help young readers on their journey toward loving reading!
18. Attend Storytime at Libraries and Bookstores
Attending storytimes at libraries or bookstores can also be a good choice for how to make reading fun again, because your kid gets to go do something fun in a public space with other kids…and that fun thing happens to be listening to stories!
Like reading aloud at home, storytime at libraries and bookstores can be a cool way for kids to engage with books in a way they might not on their own. Hearing the different characters’ voices and listening to someone else read the stories can open up new ways of thinking about books, characters, and book worlds and make that book and their next reads even more fun and interesting for them!
19. Participate in Summer Reading Programs from Libraries
Summer reading programs are also iconic parts of childhood, and many adults attribute their love of reading today to the love of reading instilled in childhood through participation in library summer reading clubs.
These reading clubs are free to participate in, and children read a set number of hours or set number of books in order to receive gift certificates to local restaurants, new books, or any number of other prizes.
Participating in your local library’s summer reading club is a fun way to keep your kids occupied during the summer, and is also sure to be a formative experience in their reading journey!
20. Use Reading Apps
In today’s world of technology, sometimes the best way to motivate your kids to read is to work with technology instead of against it. And that could look like using reading apps for kids.
Reading apps like Amazon’s Kindle app for kids provide fun stats on their reading time to help motivate them to continue reading, and there are plenty of other reading apps for kids that might make reading more fun. So this is worth investigating if you have a child who loves technology and needs a boost to start reading more!
21. Listen to Audiobooks
Some kids struggle to read because sitting still and staring at a page for so long is difficult for them. Or maybe they’re having trouble with some words, and need motivation of enjoying stories to help them realize reading is worth it. Whatever the case may be, sometimes listening to audiobooks can be the best way to get your child excited about reading!
There are so many fun books with incredible narrators that will turn reading into story time for your kids, and if your child loves listening to audiobooks then your local library, Audible, or Chirp could be great sources to keep them well-supplied with plenty of listening material.
So give audiobooks a try if you’re looking for more ways to get your kids engaged in the world of reading!
22. Join Reading Rewards Programs
Besides summer reading clubs at libraries, there are so many different reading rewards programs your kids can join to get rewarded for reading.
Reading challenges range from options like Pizza Hut (get a free personal pizza for reading!) to Barnes & Noble (choose a free book for reading!). You can also make your own reading rewards program at home if you’d like to personalize a reading challenge for your child.
While reading often is its own reward, having a little external motivation in the form of fun physical rewards for reading milestones can be a great way to give a little extra excitement to reading!
23. Keep Books In Sight on Shelves
If you want reading to be part of your child’s lifestyle, then keeping age-appropriate books at eye level for your children can be a good way to immerse them in the world of books.
How does this work? Well, keep the board and picture books on the lowest shelves of your bookshelves so babies and toddlers can easily reach them and look at them. Then add the next age group of books to the next shelf up, so as they grow there are always books perfect for their age at their eye level!
You just might find that as the books at their eye level catch their eye, and they might pull out new books to read from those shelves more often!
24. Schedule Reading Time
If your child enjoys reading when they are reading, but struggles to read otherwise, then scheduling in reading time can be a good way to make sure it stays a part of their life.
Having a dedicated reading hour at specific times of the day or week can be a good way to teach them how to set aside time for things that are important in their life, or that they want to make sure they do.
Just be careful that this doesn’t turn reading into another “task” they have to check off before they get to the “fun” stuff…we want reading to be fun in its own right and not just something to suffer through before you can play!
25. Read and Talk About Books in Front of Kids
And lastly, be sure to model good reading behavior in your home. If you want your kids to read and enjoy reading, the easiest way to help them prioritize that is if they see you doing it.
If you read your own books in front of them and if you talk about what you’re enjoying reading with your kids, you’re much more likely to see them want to read and to hear about what they’re reading lately.
Children often consciously or unconsciously choose to follow the examples of adults in their life, so making sure they see you taking time to read for yourself is a great way to set a good example for them!