Education

Reading Activities for Kids That Actually Work

By

Mohit Kamboj

According to research, kids read less today than in previous years. 26% of kids aged under 18 spend a little time reading, while 53% of children say they love reading, which is quite low compared to previous years. To deal with this problem, there are exciting reading activities that teachers and tutors can use to spark an interest for reading in kids. Let’s look at some of them.

Reading Personal Journals

If the kids in your class have started writing, you can ask them to record their daily activities in journals. Then, have them read these entries the next day. By doing this, they practice reading daily. Reading for 20 minutes every day exposes kids to about 1.8 million words each school year, improving their score on standardized tests. If you want to help your students improve their vocabulary, this activity will greatly help.

Reading Photographs

You can also use pictures to improve your students’ reading skills. Encourage kids to create picture books and use them to improve their reading skills. Have the child describe the photos in detail. You can tell them to find pictures with captions which motivate them to read. These will boost their comprehension and imagination. To make this exercise successful, include some pictures in your students’ daily reading assignments for them to work on. The more you practice reading pictures, the better the kids will become at reading.

Enroll Them in Reading Programs

Reading doesn’t come easy for every child, and you may have to enroll some of your students in reading programs to improve their reading skills. Fortunately, there are many online reading programs you can take advantage of. Enroll children who don’t feel confident reading in the classroom and those having difficulty mastering the skill. A good reading program greatly benefits young learners and boosts their literacy levels. It features engaging stories and interactive lessons. Every learner’s progress is monitored. You can also request parents to set reading goals and help track their child’s progress .

Introduce Word Puzzles

Word puzzles are important because they improve kids’ processing speed. Incorporate them regularly in your classes. Apart from enhancing kids’ literacy levels, crossword puzzles boost children’s critical thinking. They also grow kids’ vocabulary, boost self-esteem, and improve memory. You’ll notice that kids who love word puzzles have better problem-solving skills, skills needed in difficult subjects such as math.

Use Games

Kids enjoy playtime, so use play to improve their reading skills. For instance, you can introduce scrabble for kids. You can teach the young learners to create different words out of single letters. This activity will boost their thinking capacity and is a great way to blend play and study time.

Kids can become reading experts at a young age if trained well. Although most of them have a short attention span, you can introduce different activities to boost their reading skills. You’ll soon notice improved literacy levels and better test scores. Help your students master this important life skill.