Reading is a critical component of children’s academic - and future life - success. Studies show that kids learn to read and comprehend stories in a multitude of ways, both inside and outside of the classroom. Kids are inherently inquisitive about the world around them so, naturally, they embrace learning new things.
 
Below are 15 fun, creative ideas that organically weave reading, comprehension, and vocabulary into family time activities! They are great for all kids, including those who love reading and those who aren't yet fond of it.

In addition to involving you in your child’s education in a fun and effective way, these family time activities may also foster a deeper relationship with your child, creating lasting memories for years to come.

1. Book Battles. Have everyone in the family make age-appropriate reading goals for the month (i.e., Preschoolers will have a much simpler goal than elementary kids). This includes parents, guardians, aunts, uncles, grandparents, you name it! Each person who finishes a book chapter or article gets one point and whoever has the most points at the end of the month is the winner.
   
   
2. Squeeze in reading. Even families with busy schedules can make time for teaching reading skills by playing read-out-loud videos. These videos help develop a better understanding of language by reading out loud to your kids, even when you yourself don’t have the time to do so. Read-out-loud videos can be played on a phone or tablet for your child while you’re driving, cooking, or running errands. We are big fans of the Sankofa Read Aloud channel on Youtube.
   
   
3. Vocabulary Jar. Each time your child learns a new vocabulary word that they love, ask them to write it down and put it in a word jar. Once the jar is filled up completely, reward them with new books or other goodies. This can also be made into a contest against friends or siblings: whoever fills up the word jar first wins.
   
   
4. Cook together. Ask your child to help you make a grocery list to buy ingredients for some of their favorite meals. Have him or her read the grocery list out loud while you’re grocery shopping together. While you’re cooking, ask your child to help by reading the recipe and instructions out loud to you.
   
   
5. Bake together. Make fun vocabulary-themed cookies with your child using alphabet-shaped cookie cutters. Don’t have alphabet cookie cutters? Make sugar cookies and ask your child to write letters or words on them using frosting.
   
   
6. Play board games. Play games together that involve reading like Pokemon, Monopoly, Scrabble, Exploding Kittens, Boggle, Apples to Apples, you name it! Family game night also helps kids develop fluid intelligence and problem-solving skills.
   
   
7. Play virtual games. There is a multitude of  free educational games and apps designed to teach kids reading skills. One of these is Teach Your Monster to Read, where kids design a pet monster that they teach to read using phonics and whole language learning. We also love Duo ABC by the makers of the language learning app, Duolingo.
   
   
8. Go on scavenger hunts. Create a scavenger hunt around your house or neighborhood and hide clues that your child has to read to you. Together you’ll use your child’s critical thinking and reading skills to successfully solve the scavenger hunt clues and find the treasure!
   
   
9. Create science experiments. Kids are natural scientists who are interested in how the world works around them. Print out the instructions for setting up a simple science experiment and have your child read the instructions out loud to you. They will enjoy “teaching” you how to set up the science experiment. You can find an entire at-home science experiment library at Steve Spangler Science, click here.
   
   
10. Coloring & draw together. Sit down one evening to create art projects with your child. Break out the crayons to draw and color some of your child’s favorite words and names together. Alternatively, download free word-based coloring pages - there are thousands of options online; all you have to do is Google them!
    
    
11. Enjoy a karaoke night. Stream free lyric videos on Youtube and take turns belting out your favorite kids’ songs with your child. This is a great activity for at home and short car rides, but for longer car rides, see activity #14.
    
    
12. Play story charades. Swap turns with your child acting out scenes from their favorite books. Take turns guessing which scene and character(s) are being depicted. If you’re not familiar with the books, have your child summarize the plot and characters or read important segments out loud to you.
    
    
13. Read on video calls. Do you Chat with family & friends over Zoom, Facetime, or Skype? Encourage your child to read a book on the video call to the folks on the other end.
    
    
14. Educational road trips. Is your family traveling together? Encourage your child to practice reading by playing the license plate game on road trips. Alternatively, ask them to help you read the map or spell out the letters of street, building, and city names they see on the GPS.
    
    
15. Chore charts. Instead of asking your child to do their chores, make a chore chart that they must read in order to determine what to do for that day. Older siblings can help the younger ones use phonics to sound out tasks on the chart. Kids who read & finish all of their daily chores can win fun prizes or other rewards.
    

Here at R2S, we are all about reading, so we thought we would ask our new Executive Director some fun reading-specific questions to learn a little bit more about her.

What is your favorite children’s book?
My favorite children’s book that I read to my son, especially around Halloween, was “My Monster Mama Loves Me So”. Beyond the many books my son got throughout the year, every Christmas, I would get him a special one that I would inscribe, and we would read on Christmas Day. My favorite one is “The Gift of Nothing." It totally sums up our relationship and how we view gifts/giving. You should definitely read it.

Where is your favorite place to read?
I love reading before I go to bed. It’s a time to unwind and escape the day-to-day. I often fall asleep with my glasses on and a book on my chest.

What’s the last thing you read, book or otherwise?
I’ve just picked up (again) “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova. I love how she weaves time and space so fluidly and how the pieces all come together in the end. Her words are so descriptive that you can feel, see, taste every moment and place.

If you could have one author, dead or alive, over for dinner, who would it be? Why?
Madeleine L'Engle. I loved the Wrinkle in Time series and still have all the books, which I often reread as an adult. As a young girl, it was the first book I read that incorporated modern science and a strong, smart female character. It inspired me to imagine a world beyond my reality and piqued my interest in science. An interest that led me to two post-graduate degrees that incorporated both education and science.

Who inspired your love of reading?
My mom, most definitely. Her mom, my grandma Jewell, was a librarian, and books were readily available to her growing up. Ever since I can remember, we would read together every day. And while we didn’t have much growing up, we always had books. After all these years and over 15 moves back and forth across the country, I still have many of my childhood books….including “Drummer Hoff” and “The Giving Tree."

What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
It’s a toss-up. I’ve loved the adaptations of Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax” and “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”. I’ve watched those cartoon specials since I was young. More recently, I’d say the Harry Potter series. I love the books (have the full set in hardback) and have enjoyed the movies as well.

When is the last time you read to someone else?
My mother has late-stage Parkinson’s and is unable to read or really do much of anything for herself. I, and others, now read her the books she’s enjoyed since she was young. Mostly children’s books that she and I have collected over the years.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would it be titled?
"What’s Your Excuse?. . .What’s Your Inspiration?" I am thankful for my journey and all the people who have been and/or are a part of it. I’ve had many wonderful, magical experiences and, at the same time, some horrible ones as well. Storytelling has always been important to me, personally and professionally. I hope to share my story one day to bring humor, hope, and inspiration to others.

What is your favorite genre to read?
I enjoy children’s books and have a wonderful collection. I lean toward Mystery and Fiction, however, it usually depends on my mood or interest at the time.

What is one of your fondest memories of growing up in WNC?
Hiking and camping in the mountains. My love of nature and the outdoors was ignited in the Blue Ridge Mountains. My parents were hippies, and we would spend countless hours, days, and weeks exploring the creeks, mountains, and trails in this area.

Read more about the new Executive Director announcement in our press release - click here.