I enjoy finding exciting and fun ways to encourage my students to read. Many students struggle choosing a book to read. However, when students find the “golden one” and become excited about reading, they can’t wait to find the next book.
I remember the first book that influenced my love for reading. I bet you do too! The book that I fell in love with was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. It changed my life! I couldn’t get to the library fast enough to check out another great book.
by Scott O’Dell
Check out these fun reading incentive ideas to spark the love of
reading in your students!
- Engage your students with a book talk that will have them lining up to read the books you talk about.
Book talks are a fantastic way to introduce books or authors. I always start my library time with a book talk. Let’s just say, I have to pick numbers and keep a waiting list for the book! You can read excerpts of the title and stop where there is suspense. The students beg you to keep reading and are on the edge of their seat. I end this type of book talk with the words, “To find out what happens, read <title> by <author>”
A second type of book talk is one that I write and read about the book. I plan and write the book talk with my students in mind. Below is a few tips to help you write your book talk.
BONUS: Book Talk Tips - Create a reading challenge that will inspire students to keep reading.
Reading challenges are a great way for students to make reading goals. There a many ways to do a reading challenges. It can be a school year long or a limited time challenge. You need to decide which type works best for your students.
The most successful reading challenge I have done with my students is
Read 100 Books and More. I challenged the students to read 100 books by the end of the school year. This gave the students the ability to read what they love. - Create displays in the library that catch student’s attention.
Displays…Ok, I said it. Educators simply don’t have time to plan and design many displays! Yet, creating displays to promote reading works wonders to help students choose books they want to read. Many students struggle to find their personal reading choices. Not only do students struggle to find the books that appeal to them, they also have only a small window of time to find books.
Here’s a few display ideas I love to use:
–Seasonal or Holiday Displays: When time allows, I love to create displays to spotlight new books about seasonal events or upcoming holidays. Students can see the covers and quickly find a book that appeals to them. Some ideas include: back to school, fall, apples, pumpkins, football, snowflakes, snowmen, snow, winter, spring, and so many more!
-Subject Displays: During checkout time, students are always gathered around me for help to find different kind of books. Boy oh boy! It’s a challenge to answer ALL of their questions! To help I try to find ways to add signs and displays in the library to spotlight a variety of topics the students are interested in reading.
-Genre Displays: My students ask about different genres all the time. Where are they? How can I find a good mystery? In the fiction area of the library, I create genre displays to help guide students to the books they are looking for. - Use reading incentives to encourage your young readers.
I love to use reading incentives in the library! One of my favorite things to do is hide Golden Reading Tickets in books throughout the library. I keep it a secret and do not tell the students about it. If they find one in their book, they can bring it to the library for a trip to the Reading Treasure Box.
BONUS: Golden Reading Ticket
Thanks for spending time reading The Sunny Side of Reading!
Linda the Librarian
