*I was provided with Silver Dolphin books. All opinions are my own.
Before Kelsie was born 15 months ago, I would always read to Drew when I watched him. I’d usually offer to read him a book when he appeared to get bored with playing. I would just be sitting there with him and trying to think of something to do, which is when I would decide to ask him if he wanted to read. After Kelsie arrived, I was so much busier while babysitting them both. I almost never found myself just sitting there wondering what to do next. So for a while I got out of the habit of reading to the kids. When I got a toy organizer a few months ago, it displayed the covers of the books. This prompted Drew to see front of the books (so much more exciting than the spines!) and come up and ask me to read him this book or that book. This woke me up and made me realize I needed to get back into the habit of reading to the kids when I have them. Drew is now almost 4 and on occasion he will turn down my request to read. So I have been coming up with new ways to get him excited about reading and to make reading more fun for him. These have worked great at getting him excited to read with me again and he now asks me to read a couple of times while he is here.
10 Ways To Make Reading Fun For Preschoolers:
1. Let them choose the book. Drew is all about being independent and gets a lot of pride out of being able to make his own choices. I don’t always want to re-read the book that we’ve already read four times but I’ve found that just complying with his request will keep him more excited about reading than trying to sway him into reading something that appeals to me does.
2. Try books with some repetition. Books that have the same line or even just a few words that repeat throughout the book make it easy for preschoolers to predict the next part. Drew loves being able to say the phrases out loud as if he is able to read. This probably goes along with #1 because for Drew, he feels like he is reading the book instead of me which makes him feel more independent, I think. We’ve been reading Totally Monster Best Friends by Sue DiCicco. Each page-spread starts off with “We are best friends….” which Drew knows and will say out loud. Each page spread also includes opposites (such as from the tips of our fingers to the tips of our toes) so he can often guess the whole phrase based on the photos, or guess the second half of the phrase based on the first half.
3. Change the story. If you have books that your child knows well, make a silly change in the story. Sometimes I change a character’s name, or change the dialog to something really silly. If I plan it right, this can really catch Drew off guard which he finds hilarious.
4. Use a silly voice. If I notice that Drew is losing interest part way through a book, I’ll sometimes change a characters voice to really high, low or fast to surprise Drew and grab his attention. Of course, this usually causes a fit of silliness for a moment but after a laugh we can usually continue on reading with more awareness.
5. Change your location. Several years ago I made a “reading fort” out of a sheet and chairs in the living room for my nephews. They were very active little kids who would never sit for an entire story prior to this. However, making the fort made it seem more fun and they sat through multiple picture books. After that first time, they always requested that I make the “reading fort” so it became somewhat of a tradition.
6. Try “hands on” books. Drew is a very busy little boy who likes to experience life hands on. So many books are just basic experiences that feel “2D”. Books that have flaps, pop ups, cut outs, or textures provide a more 3D experience that is a lot more satisfying for hands-on kids like Drew. I mentioned Totally Monster Best Friends above which has folding pages. I think part of why Drew likes that book is because each page requires hands-on action. He absolutely loves Pretend and Play On The Farm by Salina Yoon. He loved all things related to farming for about a year between 1.5 and 2.5 but that seemed to mostly go away about a year ago. So I was (positively) surprised at how much he fell in love with this book about a month ago. There are only a couple of sentences on each page, and it has animal cut outs that slide into spaces throughout the book. Before we start reading Drew gathers all four animals and holds them. He eagerly waits as we turn each page so that he can place the animals into their spaces. We’ve never read this book less than three times in a single setting – he always wants to read it again as soon as we finish. I think it is the “hands on” experience that make him so interested. Silver Dolphin Books has dozens of hands-on books for kids.
7. Go to the library. Having the massive selection of books to choose from makes it hard for anyone to resist finding one that they want to read. Seeing other children enjoying books can also be great positive “peer-pressure” for kids.
8. Read while playing school. Drew likes to pretend-play that He is the teacher and I am the student (or vise-versa). I use this pretend school play to read to him and have him do other educational activities like cut out shapes or write his name and other words.
9. Involve the story in play afterwards. Right now, Drew is really interested in painting. He desperately wants to be able to paint realistic-looking people and things from his life. After we read a book, I sometimes suggest to him that he try to paint one of the characters or an object from the story. My hope is that it continues his interest in the book and the story because he will then associate it with something he loves so much (painting). Silver Dolphin Books has several of their children’s books available in iOS app form as well (including the two books that I mentioned above). The app is a great way to extend their play – search for Totally Monster or Pretend and Play in the apple app store to find them.
10. Seek out books surrounding their natural interests. Drew loves Race-cars, baseball, footballs and motorcycles. Naturally, he’ll easily get excited about reading books on any of these topics fairly easily. Use google or a library index to search for age-appropriate books on some of their favorite subjects.
How do you encourage your preschoolers love of books and reading?
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
I love the suggestion to visit the library, especially if you’re trying to get an idea of what their interests may be. I babysit but I like some of the time to be educational and book-reading is a great activity and keeps them a little more quiet and occupied!
I love the suggestion to visit the library, especially if you’re trying to get an idea of what their interests may be. I babysit but I like some of the time to be educational and book-reading is a great activity and keeps them a little more quiet and occupied!