7 Fun Activities to Improve Reading Skills in Young Children

Reading is an essential skill for any child, and it’s important to start encouraging it from a young age. It can be tough to get kids interested in reading, but with some creative thinking and a few fun activities, it’s possible to make reading a fun and enjoyable activity. From playing word games to creating stories together, there are lots of activities that can help to improve reading skills in young children. Here are 7 fun activities that can make reading fun, interactive, and educational for kids.

Word Games

Start by getting kids excited about reading, and build up their skills. There are lots of reading games that can be played with younger children to get them ready to read:

• Find the Letter – A great game to start with is the letter find game. This is where you hide letters around the house, and your child has to find them. You can use any letters you like. 
• Find the Number or Shape – If you want to extend this to numbers or shapes, then you can also use items around the house.
• Picture or Word Hunt – Instead of letters or numbers, use pictures or words. You can use a word or picture book, or draw the word or picture yourself.

Storytelling

Storytelling can be a great way of introducing younger children to reading skills. Start with a short story, and then extend the story as your child gets more confident. Build up the characters and have your child add to the story too. They can draw their own pictures, or use toys to re-enact the story. It’s a great way to encourage creativity, and get your child excited about reading. A great way to learn reading skills is to use a story with a repetitive phrase. Repetitive stories are great as they break down the skills needed to read.

Reading Aloud

Reading aloud to your child is a great way to improve their reading skills, and is an enjoyable activity. There are lots of benefits to reading aloud to young children. It’s a great way to start conversations, and it makes the child feel important and special. Once your child begins learning to read themselves, having them read aloud to you is one of the best ways to develop their vocabulary. If your child is having difficulty learning to read, they may require a more specialized approach or need glasses. 

Reading Challenges

Reading challenges are a great idea for encouraging your child to read for pleasure. Challenges can be set for each week or for each day. You can challenge your child to read a certain amount of pages or set a challenge to read a certain type of book. Make it more interesting by setting a goal, and creating a reward when the challenge is met. Another option is to have them take on a reading challenge with a friend or sibling. This will make it more fun and competitive, and encourage your child to read more.

Rhyming Games

Rhyming games are a great way to improve reading skills and develop vocabulary. Start with rhymes that are very simple. Rhymes such as ‘cat’, ‘hat’, and ‘mat’ are great to start with, and you can build up to more difficult rhymes as your child gets better at them. Start by completing a rhyming dictionary. Find a rhyming dictionary online, and complete a few rhymes every day. This will help your child get used to the rhyming words, and improve their reading skills at the same time.

Story Creation

Once your child is reading well, have them create their own stories. Give your child a genre to work with, and let them create their own tale. You could challenge them to write a story about animals, or a story set in space. Or you could challenge them to use a specific number of words. Once they’ve created their story, encourage them to draw pictures to go with it. Another idea is to have your child write a story only using pictures. Make it as silly as possible, and use lots of humor. This will get your child excited about reading, and improve their creativity at the same time.

Conclusion

Reading is an essential skill that all children should learn, but it can be tough to get them interested in it. There are lots of fun and creative ways to get kids excited about reading. From storytelling to reading challenges, there are lots of activities that can help to improve reading skills in young children. Word games, reading aloud, and rhyming are also great ways to start. With lots of unique strategies, reading can be a fun and enjoyable activity for young children.