25 Ways to Make Reading Fun for Early & Reluctant Readers

How do we encourage kids to read (especially when it’s hard) without killing their love for books? Make it enjoyable! Try some of these ways to make reading practice fun for early or struggling readers.

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Did you know March is National Reading Month?? I’m all over that! Not only is it my personal favorite activity, I’m also passionate about cultivating a love for reading in kids. I love to tell the young students I interact with that books give us superpowers: to go wherever we want to go, be whoever we want to be, and learn whatever we want to know. Books unlock new worlds of knowledge, understanding, and imagination, and reading them is one of the best things we can do for our minds, hearts, and souls. That is why I try to foster a love for it anywhere and anyway I can!

While I, personally, can’t recall a time I didn’t love reading, I know that is not the case for every child. In fact, many kids would rather be doing just about anything else! That can be especially true for early or struggling readers, for whom it often feels like an uphill slog. I have one child who, though extremely motivated to read on his own, was persistently resistant to practicing. Until, that is, I found ways to make reading practice more fun.

And that’s the key to encouraging kids to read even when it’s hard without extinguishing their desire for it – make it as enjoyable as possible! That’s not to say we should remove all challenge from reading (even if that were possible, all the best hobbies require some amount of effort!); but we can inject as much fun into it as possible. After all, even the most arduous work doesn’t seem nearly as hard when we’re having fun while doing it!

To that end, here are some of my favorite ways to make reading fun, especially for (but not limited to!) early and reluctant readers.

25 Ways to Make Reading Fun For Early (or Reluctant) Readers

Reading can be a frustrating and exhausting experience for those just starting (or struggling) to learn. As with most endeavors, however, the only way to get better at it is to practice! So, how do we encourage kids, especially those who may be “stuck” in that hard spot, to read without inadvertently nurturing negative feelings? Make it fun! Try some of these ways to make reading practice fun for early or reluctant readers.

1. Read TO them

Even as your kids learn to read on their own, continue to read to them. Not only will this provide some much-needed mental rest for them, it will cultivate positive associations with reading and familiarize them with writing above their current reading level. You can invite them to follow the words with their eyes as you read so they match what they’re seeing with what they’re hearing.

Related Post: 9 Practical Tips for Reading to Your Kids

You can also find audio versions of their favorite stories and have them follow along in their books as they listen.

2. Partner Read

A great next step is to read a book together. You can do this a few different ways:

Choral read: Both of you read at the same time, making your voices “like one voice.”
Echo read: You read a sentence, then your child echoes. Make it even more fun by varying how you read it (e.g. super loud then super soft, with accents or silly voices, or with dramatic flair) and tell them they have to read it just like you do. The kids I’ve done this with have loved it!
Back and forth: Take turns reading line by line, sentence by sentence, or page by page.
By character: In books with multiple characters, you can each take one or two to “play.” Elephant & Piggie books are perfect for this!

Recommended Reading:
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You books
We Both Read books

3. Re-read favorite books over and over (and over) again

Allow your early and reluctant readers to read the same books over and over again. Yes, they are likely “reading” some of it by memory, but this is a fantastic way to build confidence! Plus, they’ll learn the words as they match what they know from memory with what’s written on the page.

Related Post: Our Favorite Picture Books for Kids

4. Channel your inner actor

As you read books together, use as much expression as possible to make it more fun. Take it one step further by physically acting it out (as much as you can while still being able to see the book). My kids and I have done this with Elephant & Piggie books, and we’ve had a blast!

5. Read as a puppet

My son loves to read as his shark puppet, Sheldon. 😆 It’s goofy, but it works! And I’m all about anything that gets kids to (willingly) read.

6. Read to a stuffed animal or pet

It’s amazing how much anxiety and pressure can be relieved for struggling readers by reading to a stuffed animal or pet.

7. Go on a Word Hunt

Invite your kids to go on a “word hunt” with you in one of two ways — either give them specific words to look for, or have them shout out words they know. You can do this as you read books together or when you’re out and about (e.g. on road signs, business advertisements, menus, grocery labels, etc.).

8. Play Word BINGO

Make (or buy) a BINGO card with high frequency words, and have your child see if they can get a row, column, X, or blackout.

9. Make words with letter tiles or magnetic letters

Get a set of letter tiles (such as these or the ones that come with word-based games like Scrabble or Bananagrams), and arrange them into words. Or get some magnetic letters and arrange them on a magnetic board, cookie sheet, or refrigerator.

10. Make sentences with word cards

Make or print slips of paper with an assortment of words in (or around) your child’s reading level, and arrange them into sentences. The funnier, the better! You could also use magnetic poetry sets like these or these.

11. Play “Catch My Mistake”

As you read a book together, purposely read some of the words incorrectly and have your child try to “catch” your errors. I recently started doing this with my kids, and they love it!

A few tips:

Make sure to tell them what you’re doing ahead of time so you don’t confuse them.
Use a book they’re familiar with.
Start out easy with obvious mistakes and progress as they’re ready. If they start to get frustrated (this happens from time to time when I do it with my son), go back to the obvious misreadings! The point of this is to be fun, so if it’s no longer fun, it’ll be counterproductive.

12. Read in silly voices

Reading as an English chap, a rusty robot, or an extraterrestrial automatically inserts a little fun into reading practice.

13. Change up your location

There’s something magical about reading in a new or interesting spot. I’ve found that taking our books outdoors is a sure-fire way to get some extra reading practice out of my son.

You could even build a “reading fort” to make it more adventurous and something to look forward to!

14. Exchange messages

Writing and reading go hand in hand! Give your kids some reading practice they’ll love by writing messages to each other in fun ways, such as with sidewalk chalk, sticky notes, marker boards, etc.

15. Find books on their favorite interests

This one is HUGE! Kids will be infinitely more eager to read when the books are about their favorite people, pastimes, and passions.

16. Let them pick out their own books

In that same vein, I’ve found that early and reluctant readers are much more willing to read when they pick out their own books. You can help guide them or give them a few to choose from, but let them make the final selection.

17. Play Word Slap

Get a fly swatter (the more unique, the better!) and choose a word that’s sure to pop up often in the book. Each time your child reads that word, they can slap it with the fly swatter.

18. Read something silly

Many reluctant readers are more willing to read something that makes them laugh, so bust out some joke books or books of silly poetry. I recommend Bing Bang Boing or anything by Shel Silverstein.

19. Track their reading on a calendar

When I’m initiating a new habit or practice, I like to track my progress on a chart of some sort. You can do the same for your child’s reading to make it more exciting! My son loves seeing all the stars and stickers he’s accumulated on our kitchen calendar.

20. Offer reading rewards

As you track your kids’ reading practice, you can further motivate them with small rewards along the way. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about using external rewards to build lifelong practices, as they can (and often do) inhibit internal motivations. But I think they can be effective as an initial springboard or to get kids over the “hump” when reading is most difficult.

Related Reading: 7 Ways to Raise Lifelong Readers

If you do use rewards, offer ones that encourage more reading. We definitely do not want to foster the idea that reading is a “chore” to get to the “fun” prize. We want to make reading its own reward!

Here are a few ideas:

21. Make reading time special

Make reading practice something your child looks forward to with you! Designate a specified time, let them choose the location, occupy any other kids elsewhere, and cuddle up together. Turn your reading time into special one-on-one time.

22. Read by flashlight

I don’t know what it is about flashlight reading, but kids love it! Even at his most reluctant, my son has always jumped at the chance to read by flashlight.

23. Make (or buy) a Magic Reading Wand

Have your kids transform popsicle sticks into Magic Reading Wands they can use as reading pointers. This is so much more exciting than boring old fingers, and will make reading practice a lot more fun!

24. Use interesting bookmarks

A great accessory makes any activity more enjoyable! Get your child a bookmark they’ll love, and encourage them to use it during your reading sessions.

25. Play a reading game

There are SO MANY fun reading games out there you can play together. However, I would dissuade you from leaning too heavily on screen-based reading games. An occasional computer or online game is fine, but research shows that reading practice is best and most effective when it’s offline and screen-free.

Here are some screen-free reading games:

General Tips to Make Reading Practice Fun

To wrap up this post of ways to make reading practice fun and enjoyable for early, developing, and reluctant readers, here are a few general tips to follow:

Choose a good time. Do NOT try to force it when they are tired, hungry, or full of pent-up energy. Right after school is usually a terrible time to attempt reading practice. Wait until they’ve had a snack, time to decompress, and (ideally) some outdoor play.
DO NOT nag or push. Do your very best to keep reading practice relaxed and pressure-free. As the adult, you set the tone for the reading practice, so stay calm, don’t push, and keep it light and fun.
Invite them to read with you. In that same vein, I’ve found that my son is MUCH more willing to read when I invite him to read with me, rather than making him read to me.
Ask them when/how they want you to step in with assistance. I’ve read wildly different (and opposing!) advice about how and how much to assist developing readers as they read aloud. It finally dawned on me one day to ask my son what HE wanted! He thought about it for a minute and then told me he only wanted me to step in when he asked for help. Ever since then, I’ve noticed a marked decrease in his frustration level. So, don’t blindly follow what the “experts” tell you to do – ask your child what he/she prefers!
Try a timer. I’ve found my kids are much more willing to do hard things when there’s a definite and defined endpoint. And since books can vary wildly in length and difficulty, we’ve found that a 10-minute timer works better than a certain number of books. But do what works best for your child! Use whatever system keeps them happiest and most motivated.
When they’re ready to be done, let them be done. It’s good to let our kids struggle a bit, but look for cues they’ve had enough. Remember, we want them to practice in order to progress, but we don’t want to put them off reading! When my kids (or the ones I read with at school) reach their limit, I offer to take over the reading and have them follow along. They’re still getting valuable reading practice!
Take a break to get wiggles out, if necessary. That being said, if your kids are more antsy than weary, sometimes all it takes to keep going is a quick “shake break”! A 10-second running or jumping break to get the wiggles out can sometimes be enough to complete 10 minutes of reading.
Cultivate a family culture of reading. This is a tip for raising readers, in general, but it will help motivate your developing readers to push through those “sticky spots.” There are many ways to cultivate a family culture of reading, but the three best ways are filling your home with books, reading together often, and making sure they see YOU reading!