5 Fun Ways to Encourage Classroom Reading

Encouraging a child to read a wide variety of books is probably the best education you can give them - but sometimes it seems to be an uphill struggle! I have put together a collection of tips and tricks to encourage classroom reading which may give you some ideas.

1. Have A Reading Competition
Each month, host a competition to encourage reading outside the home. Have students keep a reading log and collect it at the end of the month or grading period. Simple information like date, pages read, and book information should be enough. Whoever reads the most books each period of competing time wins a small prize.

2. Develop A Class Goal
Set a certain number of books you want the class to read as a whole over a set amount of time. Perhaps you want an average of 5 books per student plus 5 read in class. Keep track on a chart with stickers so students know where they stand, and if your goal is met after that period of time, have a small book themed celebration! This will encourage both team work and reading.

3. Make Comprehension Fun
While comprehension is highly important, quizzes and tests get boring to the young mind. Test their comprehension in a fun way instead. Try a review game or a crossword puzzle testing the knowledge students have retained from the book.

4. Start A Reading Club
To encourage those to read, start a book club with your class or even the whole grade. Each month choose a book to read and have a monthly meeting to do activities relating to the book. This makes out of school reading fun and encourages socializing between classes in the grade!

5. Have Book Themed Class Activities
To keep the love of reading alive, do specific activities that work into the book you are currently reading as a class. Dress up as characters in the book. Eat food related to the setting. Do a project on the author. Be creative and have fun!

How do you encourage reading in your classroom?