If your New Year’s resolution is to get your kids reading more (mine is for me too!), then I’ve assembled some free, easy, and fun out-of-the-box ideas to get kids reading whether they are new to independent reading or reluctant readers.
I also like that these ideas are hands-on and unexpected. A full-body experience. It’s meant to make kids sit up and take notice. And then hopefully, this giddy feeling will become associated with reading and reading will be associated with a pleasant experience. How about you? Please share your ideas on how you get your kids reading! Thank you!
Get Kids Reading with 7 Easy and Fun Ideas
1) Hold a BOOK TASTING in the library! Book speed dating for the younger set.
I found this idea on Pinterest from the Barrow Media Center. Get a group of kids together and hold a “book tasting.” Select books to be sampled and provide a menu sheet and pens or pencils. Each kid reads each book for 2-3 minutes and marks the menu sheet of each book with a happy face, Prozac face, or frowny face. It’s a fun way to have kids try out new genres of books.
Another idea to figure out what books to supply is to ask each child for 2 or 3 of their favorite books and draw from those. Then, at the end of the book tasting, kids who chose a book that was recommended by a friend can get encouragement to read their book choice. I always find that peer-to-peer recommendations are the most persuasive!
2) Watch BOOK TRAILERS for kids.
You know how movie trailers make you really, really want to watch a movie? Well, book trailers do the same thing for kids’ books! Book Trailers for Readers has lots of book trailers that you can view at their site and many are made by librarians. Some are even made by kids. Book trailers will draw kids into the plot of the book and they might even inspire you to make your own. Which brings us to #3…
3) Make a MOVIE or a MOVIE TRAILER of a book with friends.
You can choose any book and just use a video camera ad hoc. If your group of kids wants to enter a video book film festival, there is the 90-Second Newbery Video competition. The deadline is February 1, 2013, for Portland and Tacoma screenings. Here is a handy PDF of tips, tricks, and strategies to make your book trailer.
4) Go to children’s book AUTHOR EVENTS.
We find local KidLit author events by checking online at local bookstores and libraries. The good news is that they are FREE! If you don’t have local bookstores that do author visits, try Skype author visits. Here’s a list of virtual author visits. Kate Messner has another list of children’s and Young Adult authors who Skype for free here. Personally, I’d recommend setting up a free Skype author visit as part of a Kids Book Club event or a special play date to get a small group for the author.
PickyKidPix and I will be attending this kids’ book author event to celebrate my birthday! (I am nerdy that way.)
5) Set up a BOOK CLUB FOR KIDS.
I have lots of ideas for book clubs for kids here. Additional book club meetings are written up in individual posts here. I highly recommend setting up a book club for kids to get them motivated to read. It really worked for my kids. Not only do they hear new book introductions, but hearing their friends talk about the book makes them want to read the book (or finish it if they are tired of it.)
6) Make a READING NOOK.
I’ve been collecting reading nook spaces for kids both on my Caught in the Act of … READING! post series and on my Pinterest Reading Spaces for Kids board. These cozy nooks don’t require a carpenter or a large investment! Here are just a few…
This under-the-table hammock only requires a blanket, a sturdy table, and a tight knot. From Joyful Abode.
A big Teddy provides a reading nook. A pile of stuffed animals would work too!
A dog crate serves as a reading nook.
A basket or a large cardboard box works nicely too!
7) Borrow an e-reader. You can check out eBooks from the library.
Findings reveal the potential for ebooks to motivate boys, who are more commonly known to be reluctant readers, to read more. According to a Scholastic Study, one in four boys who has read an ebook says he is now reading more books for fun. More than half (57%) of moderately frequent readers who have not read an ebook agree they would read more if they had greater access to ebooks.
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Wow! What an amazing list! I loved each idea more than the one before it! I just finished writing an article about book trailers- I think they are so powerful. I have recently used them to get my daughter who is a voracious reader but stuck on realistic fiction to branch out in to other genres. I’ve also found that borrowing my e-reader has helped with this as well! Great post! Thank you 🙂
Thanks so much Stacey! I’ve been collecting these ideas over the last few years. Glad the e-reader is helping your daughter. My middle kid is also stuck in realistic fiction. She liked Smile by Raina Telgemeir and Drama by same author … a fun graphic novel for girls!
Love this list. Your Pinterest board of Reading Spaces is so adorable – would encourage any child to cuddle and read a good book.
Hi Susan,
Thanks so much! My fantasy is to have a house full to little cozy reading nooks! Someday! In the meantime, I collect them on Pinterest!
This is an awesome list of ideas. Pinning it to my literacy board 🙂
Thanks MaryAnne! Let me know if you use any of them when your kids are older!
Amazing list! I suggest you also to try Timbuktu, an iPad magazine for children. It’s very useful and fun for parents too.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/timbuktu/id428469245?mt=8
Hi Erica,
Thanks so much for your great iPad suggestion!
Great ideas! I just subscribed because I don’t want to miss your tips. Here are a few other ways to engage children in reading http://traintoread.com/7-ways-to-teach-your-child-to-read-2/
Thanks so much Train to Read! Love your tips!
I love the idea of a book tasting! Thanks for linking up 🙂
Hi Lora,
I’m collecting great ideas to get kids interested in reading. Glad you liked the Book Tasting idea too!
Hi Lora,
I do think trying books out helps to get kids reading. It could a fun thing to do in a classroom too!
These are all such great ideas!
I’m so glad that you’re co-hosting the Blog Hop with us this week!
Thanks so much Katie! Thrilled to be co-hosting! I love KidLit blogs so I’m excited to discover more of them!
These are wonderful ideas! Book trailers are something we don’t often look at. I think we will try to dig up a few from some of our favorite books. They are kind of fun, aren’t they? My daughter also has her own reader – she just loves it and it’s so easy to get books from the library. Thanks so much for co-hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop Mia! So fun to have you this week. Cheers! 🙂
Hi Renee,
What eReader does your daughter have? We have a Color Nook but now I am thinking of getting the Kindle Fire… or an iPad mini.
She has a HipStreet multimedia player – it does music, video as well as being an ereader. It does all kinds of ebook formats as well. It’s pretty good and very affordable. We also have an Android tablet (an Asus) and we use that to do most of our reading – the picture books are amazing on it! I have a Kobo ereader (which you get in Canada). However, I just admit that I lust over the Kindle Fire – it’s rather ironic how many giveaways for Kindle Fires I’ve hosted on our website! lol
Hi Renee,
I haven’t heard of the HipStreet player … sounds perfect for kids with the versatility. We had an iPad and we lost it so I haven’t replaced it yet. I think I am going to get the Kindle Fire, but the iPad mini would be good for apps too. Big price difference though! Yes, it seems like you should get a Kindle Fire for doing the giveaways! You deserve one!
Great list! Sharing it all over the place! Thanks for sharing at The Children’s Bookshelf.
Thanks Mom and Kiddo!
Mia, thanks for sharing this on the Sunday Showcase. What a great resource. I am off to pin it 🙂
Thanks Bernadette! I had fun finding these different ideas. I think they will really work to get kids excited to read!
These ideas are amazing! I love the idea of a book tasting 🙂 Thanks so much for hostessing!
Hi Jaymie,
It is totally my pleasure. I’m thrilled to host and I do hope you keep me posted if you and your kids try a book tasting. It seems like it really would get kids excited about new books and authors!
Great post! My daughter and I are going to be having an upcoming Book Club playdate – I like the idea of making a short “book trailer” video with the kids!
Hi Leanne,
If you do, please send me a link and I’ll include it in this post! I always wanted to do that too!!!
So fun! I love the idea of watching book trailers! I think that reading is something that is obviously helpful to start as early as possible. I’ve noticed that creative ideas are so very helpful if a child starts having trouble with reading. Keeping it fun, helps keep their interest!
Thanks for linking up to the February Play to Learn blog hop! We are hosting again in March starting the first Saturday. Make sure to stop by.
Hi Nikki,
I agree! There are so many ways to get kids interested in reading that it is all about “number of times at bat.” Mix it up, try new things, and most of all, keep at it. Eventually, you can get kids reading joyfully! I really believe that! Yes, looking forward to your next Play to Learn Blog Hop. Will be on the look out for it! Thanks Nikki!
Love the summer book club for kids! I started one last summer for my daughter and a small group of girls. At the end of summer the girls loved it so much, they didn’t want it to end! Us parents decided to take a break. Now that summer is quickly approaching, we have agreed to start it up again. Im looking for book suggestions for kids entering 3rd grade , reading on a 3-5th grade level. Any links would be great!
Tons of useful suggestions, love it. My daughter just started reading, and I’m hoping that she will love to read in the future. Oh btw, the girl in the basket is soo cute.
Hi KatrinaML,
I had such fun putting these ideas together so it makes me SO happy that you liked them! Thank you so much for taking time to leave your comment. It totally made my day! That girl in the basket image is precious to me too! I love that something so simple as a basket can be a special reading nook!
Thanks for sharing your ideas Mia. They are great!!!!
Thanks so much Cherry-Ann!