When it comes to instilling a love of reading in your child, finding the right activities to go along with their reading can make all the difference in how they approach books. When given the opportunity to practice their reading both within their favorite titles and in everyday situations, children in the 8- to 10-year-old age range will come to see that reading is a fun, relaxing, and even a creative way to learn and unwind. It is at this crucial time that they are introduced to more complex literary concepts, and a regular reading routine (no matter what the medium is) sharpens their skills tremendously.
Here are just a few reading activities that will help encourage your child to broaden their reading horizons.
1. Shop Together
Grocery shopping is a great opportunity to practice reading in small increments. Challenge your child to read things like signs, labels, and the supermarket circular to help you plan out a list, and then make it a fun game by asking your child to find every item on the list that you've created, like a scavenger hunt. You can even make a points system based on the complexity of the word. Your child will enjoy helping all while sharpening their reading skills.
2. 'Collect' New Words
Create a game out of it! Whenever your child comes across a new or difficult word, ask them to record it by copying it down in a little pocket-sized notebook or journal and "collect" it. At the end of a certain period of time — be it a few days or a week, for example — see how many new words your child has discovered and learn what they mean together by using a dictionary.
3. Listen to Audio Books
Some 8- to 10-year-olds may want to have more independence during reading time, but that doesn't mean that you can't still share stories together. Pass the hours you spend in the car with an audiobook. Pick a funny story that will have your child laughing until the last page, which will encourage them to search for more.
4. Start a Book Club
Kids love sharing experiences with other children their age, and book clubs are a great way to get your child to involve their friends or classmates in reading together. Ask your child to create a short list of books they enjoy or would like to enjoy, and encourage them to ask their friends to join them in reading and then discussing what they loved most about a particular title.
5. Play Board Games
Board games are a great way to firm up recognition of sight words, as well as spelling and vocabulary skills. Try favorites like Scrabble, Boggle Junior, Bananagrams, and Buzzword Junior.
6. Get Creative
Drawing and painting is a wonderful and fun way to bring your child's favorite books to life. Sit down together and ask them to draw their favorite characters, places, or things from the worlds within their books. This gives your child a great way to practice visualization and sharpens world-building skills by letting their imaginations and reading comprehension meld.
Encourage a love of reading with help from our guide, which includes book recommendations by interest, tips for getting your child to read for fun, and much more. Plus, find more story books to read to kids and explore ideas to make reading fun.
Shop the best books for 8- to 10-year-olds below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store, where you can get free shipping on book-only orders over $25.