Tips to make reading fun for kids

Looking to introduce your kids to the exciting world of books? If that’s the case, make sure your kids get the best first impression of reading with a fun experience. From using an eReader to gamifying books, there are many ways to help make reading fun for kids – discover them here.

Opening up and reading a book together with your kids can make the experience much more special and memorable. From working out which book to read together to reacting to the same story events, reading can be a great, entertaining activity to enjoy with your kids.

Whether you’re reading a book out loud for your kids to follow, or having your child read with you together, it’s sure to be a fun time for your family. To help enhance the experience of reading with your kids, you could put on funny voices when reading dialogue and engage your kids in the story by asking them what they think of certain characters and story elements. If you’re reading a picture book together, make sure to dedicate some time appreciating the beautiful illustrations together as well.

Although reading a physical book can have its own perks, using an eReader can be equally, or even more fun and satisfying than reading in the traditional way. Especially in today’s day and age when kids are probably more used to holding electronic devices than bounded stacks of paper, introducing an eReader can help your kids feel more familiar with reading, and even learn to enjoy it with the interactivity that the device brings.

While an eReader’s primary purpose is to display eBooks, it usually also comes with a few extra features that can enhance your child’s reading experience. Customisation settings for example allow your kids to change the font, size, and printing of text so that the words are as comfortable to read as possible. Most eReaders also come with in-built highlighting functions and dictionaries so your kids can annotate as they read their favourite books.

This may be an obvious tip but to make sure your kids find reading fun; you’ll need to let them read about topics that they enjoy. Just like a cartoon TV show that your kids look forward to watching, reading can also become an activity your children anticipate so long as they get to read about what they’re interested in.

Luckily, there are child-friendly books on almost every topic. From cars and dinosaurs to fairies and princesses, you’re sure to find a book on a topic that interests your child. What’s more, as your kids’ passions change, you can also introduce them to books on their new interests so that they’re constantly learning. Kindle Unlimited is a platform with thousands of e-books, comics, and short works to choose from. Eligible Optus customers can bring their Kindle Unlimited subscription and other eligible subscriptions together with Optus SubHub.

One of the biggest mistakes that parents may make when introducing their kids to reading is presenting it as a homework task rather than a fun hobby. Chances are, the more forcefully you ask your kids to read, the more likely they won’t enjoy it. Instead, it may be more helpful to try a more relaxed approach and keep reading time flexible and enjoyable.

If your kids are into mobile games, they may enjoy an experience that blends reading and gaming together. From word search activities to interactive narrators to helpful tips on learning how to reading, these mobile apps can offer a variety of tools to help your kids enjoy reading in the form of a game.

Reading games your kids might enjoy include Teach Your Monster (to Read), Reading Eggs, Boggle, and Starfall Education. Most are downloadable on both the App Store and Google Play so you can rest assured they’re accessible on multiple devices. Some even have desktop websites your kids can play the game on a computer. You can check the classification of many games on the Australian Classification site.

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The Optus Digital Thumbprint Program is a free program that teaches young people to partake in online activities safely. Its workshops and parents resources may help you support your kids’ online journey.