As homeschoolers, we tend to celebrate the love of reading all year round, but since March has been set aside as National Reading Month, it can be fun to mix things up a bit and find creative and interesting ways to celebrate reading in special ways during the month.
The goal of National Reading Month is to help children develop the the habit of reading for at least 15 minutes a day. For some kids, this is no problem, but for others it can be a challenge. Creating an atmosphere of reading can help though. One way to do this is to introduce your children to National Reading Month by making it a special time of celebration. Here are a few ways you can do that.
7 Ways to Celebrate National Reading Month
Choose a theme
Space, ocean animals, Abraham Lincoln, dinosaurs, Little House on the Prairie, U.S. states . . . choose a theme and then enjoy reading books and other activities celebrating your theme!
Read aloud for at least 15 minutes a day
If you don’t already, choose a book or books to read aloud with the whole family. Many homeschool moms do this on a regular basis, so maybe for the month of March, Dad can do the reading. Your children will love having this special time with Dad and from my own experience I can assure you that dads can also be very entertaining readers! Need some ideas? I have a list of 5 homeschool companies with incredible reading lists. Or take a peek at my list of 175+ books for children that are free for children.
Visit the library
I know . . . you already make regular trips to the library. But how about this time, you visit without any expectations of what books will be checked out. Let the kids choose their own books. No homeschool subjects allowed! Then give your kids plenty of time to read each day (at least 15 minutes!).
Do a reading challenge
I created a 52-week reading challenge for teens, but you can pair that down into a month-long challenge instead. I think your kids will have fun choosing from my 52 ideas for choosing which books to read!
Enjoy an audio book together
Introduce your kids to the joy of audio books or radio theater. Our family loves listening to audio books in the car, at bedtime, during lunchtime . . . anytime really. If your family hasn’t fallen in love with audiobooks, National Reading Month is the perfect time to the amazing benefits of audio books.
Read all the books (all the Dr. Seuss books, that is)
Dr. Seuss’ birthday is March 2. Kick off National Reading Month by celebrating this beloved author. Grab all of your Dr. Seuss books off the bookshelf, check a few out from the library, and dive in. You could even have a birthday party for Dr. Seuss. Check out this fun list of activities!
Give incentives
Who doesn’t enjoy a little prize for a job well done. At the end of National Reading Month, have a pizza party, award a monetary prize per book read, or give a gift of a brand new book. Choose something special your children will enjoy.
Does your family celebrate National Reading Month?
