It’s cold outside, the winds are blowing, and your children are “bored.” It’s time to find something to do. No matter what the weather is like outside, reading can be a fun outlet for kids. While opening a book might not be your child’s first choice of activities, it can become something they look forward to doing. Here are some ideas for fun reading experiences:
- Build a “reading fort.” Gather up blankets & pillows and create an indoor fort to read in.
- Make some cocoa and read by a fire.
- Go to the library and find a book with a character that shares your child’s name.
- Let your child stay up late and read with a flashlight.
- Read a book about winter, snow, or snowmen.
- Have your child read one of your childhood favorite books with you.
- Bundle up and read outside for 20 minutes.
- Have your child read a cookbook and pick out a meal to make together.
- Read a book that’s been made into a movie.
- You pick a book for your child and have your child pick a book for you.
- Read a book written by an Indiana author.
- Read a book about an animal that hibernates.
- Find a science experiment in a book that you can do at home.
- Visit a nature preserve after reading a book about something in nature.
Another fun reading activity is participating in the Winter Reading program at the library. Our Candyland-themed program starts January 6. Pick up a reading log and start keeping track of what your child reads. For every 20 minutes your child reads, they color in a square on the log sheet. When they are halfway done, and when they complete the sheet, they get a prize. We’re hosting two movie showings, two STEAM events, a dance party, candy sushi making, and Winter Reading will end with a life-sized game of Candyland in the children’s department on February 18. Find full details on these events here: http://www.nchcpl.org/events-for-kids-families/