5 Ways to Motivate

5 Ways to Motivate Your Young Reader

Is your child reluctant to learn letters, sight words, or read a book? Are you exhausted from trying to get your child to complete a math activity or practice vocabulary? Or are you simply looking for ideas on how to reward your child for trying a new activity or meeting a new milestone? I’ve collected a list of some of my favorite ways to motivate young readers:

1. Make Connections

One of the best way little ones learn to read new words is by making connections! Here are a few ways I did this:

• Letters- While out and about, I would invite Claire to help me find letters. For example, if we were learning the letter B. We would look all around for the letter B. She would see it at Burger King, Baskin Robins, and on a Barbie toy. She saw how the letter B is everywhere.

• Sight words: As Claire learned new sight words, she earned a new book to practice the sight word. It doubled as an incentive and extra practice!

• Books: Claire received a book from her grandmother about Mummies. We watched videos about Egypt, dressed up as a mummy, colored pictures of mummies, and even viewed the mummy exhibit at our local museum. She was so excited to read more about Mummies and learn a ton of new vocabulary words. If you ever have the chance to take trip that relates to new books or genres.. I highly recommend doing so!

2. Track progress

When Claire was learning how to write each letter of the alphabet, I made a sticker chart. Each time she learned to write a new letter, she put a new sticker on her chart. When she filled up her row she got a prize. An alternative to make a graph or chart of the number of books they read so they can visually see how they’ve progressed.

3. Prize

I know.. not everyone believes in prizes, but I sure do! I do not have a problem with giving my child a prize when they’ve worked hard. Even something as simple as a high-five, verbal praise, or stamp can go a long way in motivating your child. If you are like and want to give your child a prize for reaching a new milestone, here are some awesome prizes ideas:

• Confetti High Five

• Scented Pencils

• Vinyl Stickers for Water

• Bottle

• Tool Pens

• Unicorn Multicolor pens

• Punch Balloon

• Glow necklace

• Sticker Book

• Popper Toy

• Ring Pop

• Fidget Toy

• Bath Crayons

• Water Wow Pad

• Bubble Toy

4. Supplement with Technology

I’m lazy. Sometimes…I don’t want to work my child and sometimes she doesn’t want to work me. So, I like to take advantage of technology. There are so many fun and free youtube videos to teach letters, sounds, sight words, etc. There are also several apps that are designed to captivate your child’s attention. To help, I reviewed the top apps on the market here for you.

5. Find a Reading Buddy

Sometimes having a new “audience” can make all the difference. Facetime with a friend or grandparent so your child can show off their new skill. There are many nights that I catch Claire sneaking out of bed to read her grandmother a book over the Alexa show.

Providing fun activities is key to keeping your child engaged! For more activities and ideas follow our facebook and Instagram page at @clairereads