How to get your kids…

reading!

Hello there!

Yesterday (2nd April 2012) was International Children’s Book Day and in light of this you may be wondering just how you can get your kids reading more.

The truth is with all the modern developments since the emergence of the humble book thousands of years ago, there is no point in trying to get your kids to give up their technology completely.

This fun guide aims to help you with tips on how to get your kids reading more, no matter the form.

This is not created by a teaching professional and this is intended just to serve as some additional inspiration and not to be taken ahead of professional advice!

Contents

• A mini reading club

• Reading with playtime activities

• Reading online

• Book recommendations

• Source list

A mini reading club

Why not set up a mini reading club for your kids and their friend? They can help you by doing the following: 1. Make a calendar each and mark down their

book club sessions 2. Create a poster each that they add their book

title’s too and can rate with sticky stars 3. Each take turns to host book club, including a

book discussion, some reading, a related ‘themed’ activity and yummy home made treats

4. At the end of each book they can take turns to write reports that they present to the group

Reading with playtime activities

Reading should be fun and sometimes it is easier to get kids reading if it’s attached to other activities. Here are a few ideas: 1. Have book themed parties at home every time you’re

about to start a new book with the kids. Cloaks and wands for Harry Potter or treasure hunts for Enid Blyton series.

2. Read in new places. Kids may get bored reading at home so why not take them to the park for a picnic and a reading session or to the public library for some quiet reading after you show them how to choose their own book.

3. Trivia games are always great. Create a trivia game for the book your kids are reading so that you can ask them questions throughout the book and they can answer the questions after which they can win prizes for. You can leave the questions on paper slips throughout the book so they can work at their own pace!

Reading online

Instead of fighting your kids to put down their web kit why not encourage them to use their web knowledge for good? The Plusnet community blog shows how kids can use their superfast broadband connection to keep your kids reading by visiting their favourite book’s websites:

The Roald Dahl website

“Although Roald Dahl died in 1990, sales of his books – which include classics like ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, ‘James and the Giant Peach’, ‘The Witches’ and ‘Matilda’ – are still strong around the world.

The official Roald Dahl website is packed with information about Dahl and his works, and includes games and quizzes to keep your little ‘Dahlings’ entertained. They can help James fly over the city on his giant peach, get together with Willy Wonka to create the perfect sweet potion, test their Roald Dahl knowledge and send e-cards to their friends.

Kids aged under 13 can also join the Roald Dahl Club via the site – membership is free of charge, and enables them to access secret parts of the website and receive a monthly e-newsletter, ‘The Dahl-y Telegraph’.”

Horrid Henry’s Wicked Website

“Horrid Henry’s Wicked Website is the must-visit website for fans of Francesca Simon’s hugely popular children’s book character.

The site includes: details of the Horrid Henry books; a ‘Horrid Henry’s World’ section where kids can learn more about Henry’s family, friends and enemies; a section featuring jokes and pictures submitted by readers; and a news and events section.

Horrid Henry fans can also sign up online to join the Purple Hand Gang. Members receive a Purple Hand certificate and a monthly newsletter, and will be able to access secret areas of the website where they can play games and download extras like screensavers – and what’s more, it’s totally free to join.” Plusnet community blog

Book recommendations

• Ages 4-8:

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

• Ages 9-12

The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

• For young adults

The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkien

Kes by Barry Hines

Source List

1. Content:

Please click through to quoted sources by clicking their reference within text as they are hyperlinked to the original content found on the web

2. Design:

The design is created as an original

Images found in the design of this presentation are taken from Flickr and can be found here:

Image 1: by superfem