Encouraging Reading and How to Read Chapter Books with Preschoolers

My daughter has always loved books and reading. I think that the fact that we have read a lot, her whole life, made her see books and reading as important, and we still read together a lot, though she can read a lot of things by herself now, too.

I really liked this post — and book recommendations — from Mama Smiles that suggests putting books out in the open and displaying them nicely to encourage kids to read. We bought a bookshelf for a weird empty space in our living room that is full of books for her, and I sometimes also do book baskets with themed books to get her interested in a particular subject.

We were reading chapter books together long before she could read them herself, so I love these ideas and tips for reading chapter books with preschoolers from Growing Book by Book. Jodie notes that getting kids hooked on chapter books early can encourage a love of reading that will last, and that there are some books that are better than others for kids that age, not just because of subject matter.

Do you read or have you read chapter books with young kids in the past? I’d love to hear some of your favorites.

[Photo via Growing Book ny Book.]

Looking for the best tools to help teach your child to read? Explore our specially curated Amazon Idea List featuring top-rated reading products designed to make learning to read fun and effective. From engaging phonics programs to interactive toys and books, we have everything you need to support your child’s reading journey. Visit our list now and discover the best resources to teach your child to read!

You can also see some of our other articles on reading activities and ideas here.

125 more activities to get your child to read.

When it’s hot outside it’s fun to do any kinds of activities that involve ice, water or anything cold. Check out my water and ice activities here, and read on for sensory and science experiments using and inspired by ice cream, and maybe grab a sweet treat after you’re finished.

In the Playroom has a bunch of ice cream inspired STEM challenges that would be great for older kids. These include things like designing an ice cream cone holder that will hold cones upright, making the highest stack of “scoops” (using cotton balls) and making a cover that can keep ice cream from melting so quickly. The challenges and printable pages kids can use as they work on their experiments individually or in teams are included in a free download.

This ice cream water table from Happy Toddler Playtime doesn’t use real ice cream, but you could try chilling the shaving cream for the fake ice cream base (though cans of shaving cream should not be frozen). Or just throw some ice cubes in there while you play.

You could also make fluffy ice cream slime (not edible) with this recipe from STEAMsational Family and use that in a sensory tray or table if you like.

Happy Toddler Playtime also has an ice cream cone volcano idea, which is the classic baking soda and vinegar project with an ice cream twist.

Turn building an ice cream cone into a lesson about sharing with this idea from Extremely Good Parenting. Read the book Should I Share My Ice Cream? and then make paper into an ice cream ball you can share with someone else (or just make for fun).

Learn about states of matter and sequencing with a melting Popsicle experiment (you could also do with ice cream) from Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station. This is a good one if you have a sunny spot on the playground or in the yard where kids can observe and time the melting of a frozen treat, ideally while eating their own. There’s also a free printable for kids to record their observations if they didn’t get too sticky.

Have you read?

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