Three Ideas to Inspire Your Young Reader and Bring Her Back to Books

by Signe Whitson, LSW on October 17th, 2010 | No Comments »

National Children’s Book Week may have been officially moved from its original home in the Fall to a Spring week in May, but autumn remains a great time of year to inspire kids to read. Cozy up with your little one in front of the fireplace and ignite her passion for books with these fun reading activities.

Happily Ever After…

Encourage your child to write an alternate ending to a favorite story. Was she hoping for her favorite character to say something different? Does she have creative ideas for how a problem could have been solved? Perhaps she might add a humorous plot twist. Provide pencil and paper and be sure to be present for the reading of the new, final chapter!

Lights, Camera, Action!

When I overheard my daughters parroting popular television commercials while in the bathtub, it gave me the idea to have them come up with advertisements for their favorite books. I let each of them choose their favorite kid’s story and challenged them to come up with an original ad campaign to “sell” the book to their friends. They had a blast with the project and it was reassuring to see how well they were comprehending character and plot as they “sold” both to their mock audience! I daresay their commercials were more convincing than most of what I watch on TV!

Try This Jacket on for Size

When my younger daughter picked a library book with a torn cover, my first thought was, “Uh-oh…we’re going to get the blame for this when we try to return this book.” My second thought was far less paranoid and a whole lot more fun! I asked my four-year old if she might like to design her own book jacket. After looking at me, puzzled, and asking why I called the paper cover a “jacket,” she got the idea of what I was going for and set off to work. Using simple paper and markers, she created a colorful and creative depiction of her favorite scene in the book. She even shared it with the Librarian, who ended up using the idea during the weekly Children’s Story Time.

My Baby Clothes Boutique has partnered with Signe Whitson, LSW, to provide helpful advice to the parenting community. Her experiences as a mom, blogger, and child therapist are shared through her blog on passive aggressive behavior and as a featured writer for Psychology Today. She co-authored a book for everyone on dealing with difficult people, “The Angry Smile: The Psychology of Passive Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools, and Workplaces". My Baby Clothes Boutique strives to provide adorable clothes, newborn hats, and even flowered baby headbands for all the princes and princesses in your life.