Encouraging Reading and How to Read Chapter Books with Preschoolers

September 28, 2016 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

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.

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Summer Reading Printables and Tips for Parents

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Reflecting on the Past Year with Kids

I’m in deep denial about the fact that new year is almost upon us again! It’s been the fastest and the longest year at the same time, and I can look back and see some good things as well as some things I wish had gone differently.

Doing a year in review with your kids — whether in the classroom or at home — is a good way to capture some of their memories and the things they really liked about the year gone by.

There are a lot of different printable year in review worksheets you can use if you want to make this super easy. Here are links to a few (often part of larger posts about NYE celebrations with kids that are worth a read, too):

Teach Beside Me has lots of fun printables fro the end of the year, including a year in review that covers favorite memory, funniest memory and the best book they read, among other topics.
NurtureStore‘s version has space for a self-portrait and prompts like favorite toy, best day out this year and future dream job.
Remember favorites, their “best idea” of the year and have room for setting goals for next year with this one from The Keele Deal.
The year in review from Yes We Made This has room for drawing or writing and includes things like something they learned, a memory they made and a place they visited.

Of course you could pretty easily make your own year in review for the whole family to do that asks questions based on what you most want to remember. (Favorite video game? Best friend? Favorite family memory?)

And if after the year in review you’re ready to look ahead a bit, Mrs. Merry has new year’s resolution printables to inspired kids to look ahead and set goals for things they want to try. You can totally fill this one out as a grownup, too.

[Photo: Mrs. Merry]

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