Fun Online Reading Activities for Kids and Youth

Types of Reading Activities for Kids

Students can practice reading comprehension by interacting with texts. Asking kids to draw pictures of characters and settings excites artistic students, prompting them to read more closely. Acting out scenes can be fun for students who love drama and will help them figure out exactly what is happening in the story. Writing alternate endings helps students practice skills like drawing conclusions and making connections. These and countless other interactive reading activities can be found online. By selecting exercises that match your son or daughter's particular interests, you can spark an enthusiasm for reading improvement.

Online Reading Activities

Story Building

Creating a story with friends and other peers is one way to get your child excited about reading. If he or she has contributed to the story, reading the text will be more interesting for him or her. This is an activity you can do online through a participating website, such as Reading is Fundamental (RIF). Through their Reading Planet interactive community, RIF provides a new story beginning each month (www.rif.org). During the week that the story is posted, your child has the opportunity to write the next section. At the end of the week, the final story is posted for all to view, with each section separated by contributor.

Not only does this allow your son or daughter to practice reading, but it also provides experience with writing and sequencing events. This activity can also be done at home if you have multiple children.

Mad Lib

Many kids have completed Mad Libs on the back of cereal boxes just for fun, but this activity can be used to help your child focus on parts of speech and reading comprehension. Funbrain, a website dedicated to free educational activities, offers multiple Mad Libs that your son or daughter can choose from (www.funbrain.com). Each blank provides the part of speech, several options to choose from and a blank space where your child can enter his or her own word if desired. At the end, the story is put together for him or her to read.

Read Along

One way for your child to improve his or her skills is by reading the online stories provided by Starfall (www.starfall.com). In the 'I'm Reading' section, your child can select a genre, like fiction, comics or Greek myths, and then choose a story to read. While flipping through the book online, your child can play an audio of each word as needed for help getting through difficult areas. The website also has sections that sound out and highlight the words of the story as your child goes through it.