35 Things Kids Can Read That Aren't Books

Are your kids spending more time in the house than they have in a long time? That can be a good thing! Your home is filled with much more reading material than you might realize. Research shows that access to reading material gives kids a leg up when it comes to literacy and learning to read. If your kids feel unmotivated to read another book, try these 35 creative ideas to engage them in reading every day:

1. Recipes - whether it's an old family recipe passed down on weathered note cards, or a favorite dish out of a cookbook, recipes are a fun and easy way to practice reading (and counting, and measuring, and more!).
2. Cereal boxes - cereal boxes are still fairly reliable for fun content, stories, and games. Make sure to check them out with your child over breakfast!
3. Directions/instructions - trying a new game or even a new mobile app? Instructions are great practice for reading and critical thinking.
4. Newspapers - "good news" stories and profiles of local organizations and events can offer reliable reading material that also helps a child feel connected to the outside world.
5. License plates - practicing letter and number recognition might be as simple as walking down the street and checking out the license plates on neighbor's cars.
6. Comics - comics have become hugely popular with kids and are easy to come by in both the newspaper and online.
7. Music lyrics - talk about your favorite songs, look up the lyrics online, and read them together.
8. Road signs - what road, street, and house signs do you see on your walk around the block?
9. Letters/emails from family and friends - encourage relatives to send messages to your child. Getting mail (snail or email) is always fun, and practicing reading it can be too!
   
10. Postcards - travel might be on pause for now, but you can still dust off the postcards you've been collecting over the years and ask your child to give them a read.
11. Games (Boggle, Scrabble, Monopoly, Apples to Apples, etc.) - tons of board and card games require reading and kids have so much playing, they don't even realize they're sharpening their reading skills!
12. Playing cards - in addition to classic playing cards, games like Uno, Goatlords, and Monopoly Deal also offer kids a way to practice reading letters, numbers, and words.
13. Magazines - magazines provide great bite-sized chunks of content for kids to read, especially family-friendly ones like Highlights
14. Poetry - April is National Poetry Month! Don't miss these fun ideas for kids to celebrate from Poets.org - click here.
15. Travel brochures - before there was the internet, there were travel brochures. Dig yours out of the closet and encourage your child to read them; you can tell fun stories about past trips too!
16. Manuals - lots of projects are happening around the house, could your child help read the manual to a tool or appliance that needs some work?
17. Catalogs - the novelty of traditional catalogs will be awe-inspiring for kids to begin with, but they offer good reading practice too. Ask Grandma or Grandpa if they have any catalogues they can share!
    
18. Dictionaries - one of the best resources for kids, dictionaries can be really fun when you make games out of finding and defining words. For example, flip through the dictionary and ask your child to choose a random point to stop. Help them discover the words on that page!
19. Play scripts - reading time can also be showtime! Find a script for a play online and encourage your child to read it and perform it.
20. Atlases - explore the world by reading an atlas together and investigating far-off destinations!
21. Encyclopedias - put a bunch of letters written on slips of paper into a bag, have your child pull one out, and then track down that page in your home encyclopedia and have them share the most interesting fact they can find.
22. Closed captions on TV - television is bound to make an appearance while everyone is working and learning at home. Consider turning on closed captions for kids to read while your show or movie plays.
23. Menus - supporting a local restaurant by ordering takeout? Ask your child to read the menu so everyone can choose what to order together.
24. Billboards - even a short trip out of the house for a scenic drive might have you passing signs and billboards your child can practice reading.
25. Maps - learning to read maps went the way of the Dodo bird after GPS became mainstream, but chances are you still have some lying around the house or car.
26. Seed packets - springtime is gardening time, and what better way to match reading with a green thumb than to read seed packets and plant start directions together before planting!
    
27. Shopping lists - shopping lists become a little longer when you're stuck inside and buying groceries for long periods of time. Ask your child to read and even write the next shopping list together with you!
    
28. Receipts - want to make sure you got every deal you were looking for? Ask your child to read a shopping receipt (especially the full sentences at the bottom!)
29. Refrigerator magnets - you walk by them every day, but refrigerator magnets can be excellent sources for quick reading lessons.
    
30. TV show/movie descriptions - what's up next in the family's Netflix queue? Ask your child to help you read the TV show and movie descriptions on the screen.
    
31. Websites - are you navigating more online learning destinations? Encourage your child to help read website names and content when it makes sense during remote learning.
    
32. Word games (Mad Libs, crossword puzzle, word jumble, etc.) - reading is even more fun when it feels like a game! Look online for age-appropriate word games or make some up yourself.
33. Calendars - what's on the family calendar for this month? Ask your child to read pre-scheduled dates and holidays and fill in additional ones with you.
34. Their own writing - stories, journal entries, poems, you name it, getting kids to write just about anything is automatically good reading practice, especially when they share what they wrote with you.
35. Audiobook/podcast descriptions - passing the time listening to great content? Ask your child to read the descriptions of different audiobooks and podcasts (reviews, too!) before they choose one to listen to.
    

What would you add to the list?

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