Why are reading activities good for kids?
Reading and storytelling help your child’s development in many ways.
Reading and storytelling activities:
- promote brain development and imagination
- help your child learn about language and emotions
- lay the foundations for literacy
- help you and your child bond and share time together.
Reading aloud and sharing stories are some of the most important and enjoyable things you can do with your child.
What you need for reading with your child
Reading with your child is all about having fun with books and spending special time together. All you need is a book that you and your child can enjoy together. You can borrow books from your local library – it’s free and fun.
Story and book ideas for your child
- Simple stories with a beginning, middle and end
- Books that have good rhyme, rhythm and repetition
- Books about a favourite topic, like cars, fairies, insects or pirates
- Books about playtime that relate to your child’s experiences
- Lift-the-flap, pop-up, alphabet, shape, size and counting books
- Books that use humour and have a sense of fun – for example, a character who uses a funny word or who is silly or even ‘naughty’
How to enjoy reading and book time with your child
- Help your child choose a book. It’s OK if your child chooses the same one over and over.
- If your child chooses a book you haven’t read together before, look at the cover and ask your child what they think it might be about.
- Ask your child to hold the book and turn the pages.
- Read stories together. For example, repeat familiar words and phrases, and then get your child to fill in the words in familiar stories.
- Vary the pace of your reading, as well as how loud you read. Changing your voice for different characters and using gestures can also be fun.
- Chant or sing repetitive phrases and words together. For example, ‘I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in’.
- Point to things in the pictures and name them, or ask your child to name them. Talk about the pictures, and ask your child questions. For example, ‘What do you think happens next?’ or ‘Why is the baby happy?’
General tips for reading with your child
- Make a routine, and try to share at least one book every day.
- Be guided by your child’s interest. If your child wants to spend more time reading, that’s great. And if your child sometimes wants only one book or story, that’s OK too.
- Turn off the TV or radio and put your phone on silent, so your child can focus.
- Hold your child close or on your knee while you read so your child can see your face and the book.
How to adapt reading activities for children of different ages
These ideas can be good as your child gets older and is learning to read:
- Encourage your child to point out letters and words.
- Play ‘find the letters and words’, especially the letters in your child’s name.
- Point out punctuation marks like full stops, exclamation marks and question marks.
- Explain what punctuation means. For example, ‘There’s a question mark. When we see one of those, we know that someone is asking a question’.
How to adapt reading activities for children with diverse abilities
Children with a lot of energy
Encourage your child to act out the story while or after you read it. For example, your child could pretend to be the giraffe, reaching up tall to grab and eat the leaves from a tree.
Children who have sensory sensitivities
Make your child’s reading space feel comfortable and safe. For example, dim the lights, reduce background noise, and make sure your child can feel or hold their preferred sensory objects while you read.
Children with low vision or blindness
Look for books that suit your child’s vision – for example, books with large text, plenty of pictures or tactile pages. It can also help to describe images for your child. Or let your child feel objects that you’re reading about. For example, you could give your child flower petals, leaves and grass to feel while you’re reading a book about being in the garden.
You can get more ideas for adapting this activity from our articles on play and autistic children and play and children with disability. You might also like to explore our other activity guides. They can all be adapted to suit children with diverse strengths and abilities.