Children shouldn’t think of libraries only as dull or scary places with scowling librarians and dusty books. Today, libraries offer all sorts of reading activities geared toward children, from story hour, to literacy lessons and holiday-themed activity days. Having a weekly trip to the library can get children used to scanning shelves and looking for their favorite authors or subjects.
Reading activities that use rhyming words are a good way to increase vocabulary children can easily memorize their favorite poems and songs. Create activities with nursery rhymes so kids have to guess the rhyming word, and have them make up their own nursery rhymes with famous characters like Humpty Dumpty and Georgie Porgie. Children will feel more engaged with material if they already know the story. Go one further with your next nursery rhyme by introducing them to stories from other cultures, such as Hans Christian Andersen.
Story time is a tried and tested formula for fostering a love of books in kids. Every day, parents should read aloud to their kids for an hour or so. Try to leave each session on a cliffhanger so the kids are bursting to know what happens next and look forward to the next story time. Gradually allow the kids to get more involved, choosing the next book they want the parent to read and maybe even following along with their own copy of the book. As the child grows, they soon will be able to read to the parents.
Reading games encourage children to develop literacy skills and a love of reading in a fun environment. These games should involve putting words in sequence, comprehending complex information, listening attentively and communicating written ideas into pictures or gestures. For an in-class activity, split the kids into small groups and give them index cards with actions from the story on them. Have the students work together to put the cards in the order the events happened in the story.