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BY JESS WEISCHEDEL

Theclassroom isn’t the only place for a child to embrace the joys of reading. You can enhance skills and cultivate a love for books by creating a reading-friendly environment outside of school and supplying fun incentives for reaching goals. Continue reading for some tips to get you started.

Build a Home Library

Consider your child’s reading level and interests while building a space in your home where they can explore various genres, authors, and characters. Your children can help arrange the books by color or height, personalizing the library as they want to. Allow them to create book labels, bookmarks, or a special bookshelf display to make the space their own. Try visiting the library or local bookstore to continuously rotate the books to expose your kids to a wider selection.

Create a Reading Nook

A special spot for your child to curl up with a book with string lights and pillows is likely to spark imagination and wonder. Prep cozy reading corners in your home that encourage your child to sit down and read books on a regular basis. Schedule theme-based story times and decorate your reading nook according to the topic, such as “Animal Adventure Week” or “Friendship Friday”, while featuring books that include stories in the designated themes.

Practice Interactive Reading

Engage your children in the storytelling experience by reading aloud with expression and bringing the characters to life with different voices and emotions. Take turns reading pages or paragraphs, ask questions about the story, and encourage them to predict what might happen next. Incorporate multimedia elements, if available, such as animated versions, audiobooks, or interactive e-books. Promote creativity by acting out a favorite scene or have your child create their own narrative and dress up as the characters they are depicting. Explore challenging vocabulary words and use them in conversation when talking to your child later.

Book-Related Activities

Visually organize the key elements of a story by writing them down or listing them as you create a story map to help your child interpret it. Include the characters, setting, main events, problem or conflict, and resolution. Create art projects such as character puppets, drawings of the setting, or bookmarks based on the story. Engage your child and have them help you write alternative endings or act out certain scenes to make the story come alive beyond the book itself. Organize a book scavenger hunt at your local library and provide your kids with various things to hunt for as they find the books included, such as a certain color, word, or image on the cover.

Set Goals

Add a sense of accomplishment and excitement by setting challenges with your reading routines. Establish achievable goals for your kids, such as finishing a certain number of books or reading for a specific amount of time. Have a read-aloud challenge where your child must read pages aloud to a sibling, parent, or even their pet. Create a reading passport with different countries or characters to meet, and let your children log the books they’ve read that fit in each space. This will help expand their horizons to diversity and unfamiliar cultures. Label each month or season with a new genre to explore, such as science fiction, mystery, or non-fiction. Make a reading bingo card with various reading challenges to mark off for small achievements. Each space on the card could include a different goal, such as reading a book by a certain author, from a certain time, or about a certain topic. Celebrate each win with incentives and rewards by keeping track on a visual chart showing the milestones they’ve achieved.

Arrange Book Clubs or Exchanges

Reach out to friends and family to help create community around reading. Set aside dedicated family reading time where each person reads the same book, then schedule discussions to share thoughts and perspectives. Organize book exchanges with your child’s friends, with each child contributing a favorite book to exchange with another. Virtually discuss books with friends and family with regular video calls to share conversations and recommendations about their latest favorite reading materials. Bring your child to a book signing, author visit, or literary event.

Adapt these reading challenge ideas to fit your family’s schedule, and reading interests, and in no time, you will have created a reading community at home that encourages shared experiences, family bonding, and a love for literature. This will positively affect your child’s development not only academically, but personally as well. So, keep it simple, fun, and rewarding as you foster a lifelong love for reading!