Is your child having trouble reading at school? Every week, their homework book says “reading practice”? Their mood is sinking because it’s simply annoying. You know it’s going to be a struggle for both sides. Then this article is helpful for you, as it provides tips for practicing reading. First of all, learning to read is an enormous cognitive challenge for your school-age child’s brain. Your child needs support from you as a parent. By motivating your child and catching them when things don’t work out right away. Learning to read is a process that takes months and sometimes even years.
As a school-age mother of two boys, if I may give you a hot tip: Every child learns to read at their own pace and with their own techniques. My youngest son always wanted to learn to read. He struggled, and suddenly he could. I’ve recorded a short video for you below.
Learning to read: What happens in the brain
Our brains aren’t designed for reading. Read that sentence again. Cavemen couldn’t read or write, and our modern brains aren’t all that different biologically from those of prehistoric humans. Try explaining that to your child’s German teacher. 😉 .
We use our brain structures differently today. That is, our brain adapts to new circumstances. Reading takes place in the brain region that was originally responsible for recognizing faces and shapes. Now our brain uses this region to recognize letters and words. Pretty clever, I think.
“Reading letters is not intended by evolution. One of the most monstrous intellectual developments of humankind was the formulation of language in writing.”
Brain researcher Prof. Dr. Ernst Pöppel
How can I teach my child to read properly?
Here’s your tip of the day: Get away from the textbook! Instead, find playful alternatives together where your child has fun and, ideally, won’t even notice they’re reading. Imagine you set up a memory game, go to a parent-teacher meeting, and dad is supposed to practice reading with the child. Sorry, I mean playing memory. The next morning, you ask:
“Did you practice reading with Dad yesterday?”
“Nope.”
What? He’s not serious! What do you do? First, get upset inside and then, annoyed, ask your husband: “Did you practice reading with Jonas yesterday? That was your job.”
And he looks at you, confused, and says, “Yeah, right. You gave me that memory game.”
Oh. Okay. Relax! He did everything right 😉 He did his homework with the schoolchild. And here’s the crucial difference: Your child didn’t realize he was practicing reading. He was simply playing memory. Welcome to playful and brain-friendly learning. This is what learning should be like.
Now let’s take a look at what playful reading can look like.
Tips for practicing reading with a fun reading game: 1. The Snail Rail
The Snail Rail is a blank game template with 27 spaces to fill in. You can think of funny words, because practicing reading should be fun! Here you’ll find compound words that always have something to do with animals. This could be “zebra crossing” or “cow’s udder.” Maybe you’ll come up with other words that aren’t on the template.
You can also play a reading game with funny words like “Kopfkino,” “Half Fat,” or “Wimp.” Or how about words that begin with “Kopf” (head). Headstand, “Kopfsalat,” or “Kopflos” (headless) immediately come to mind. You can even practice the parts of speech at the same time. The sky’s the limit here.
I just thought of something else. Does your child love Minecraft? Then use words from the game to practice reading. You’ll notice that the 50 templates from The Snail Rail Block can be filled with whatever you want.
2. Learn to read fluently with sight vocabulary
Another great tool for playful learning is sight vocabulary . But what is it? Sight words are words that children can recognize at a glance as they develop reading skills, without having to spell them. These words appear often in reading texts and are an essential part of vocabulary. The ability to recognize sight words immediately improves reading fluency and text comprehension. The 100 most common German words are collected here and will help your child learn to read fluently. This is not only effective, but also really motivating when the feeling of success doesn’t take long to come. I’ve come up with some cool ideas here for you to use sight vocabulary in a playful way.
3. Painting by words
This is a creative way to combine reading and coloring, as coloring relaxes and promotes concentration. Children can not only improve their reading skills but also train their spelling and concentration. Different coloring pages on various spelling topics add variety to the material package . And best of all: It’s great fun!
If you want to have a whole reading and painting book and learn according to the seasons, then you can choose summer , autumn and Christmas 😉
4. Learn to read playfully with the reading box: from word to sentence
Sometimes it’s difficult to introduce children to reading in a way that’s fun and not overwhelming. This is where the Elementary School Reading Box comes in! It’s not just a box—it’s a treasure trove of creative ideas for playfully promoting reading and language skills. Whether you use it at home, in class, or your child works with it in independent work—the Reading Box provides structure, motivation, and real learning success!
The reading box is perfectly tailored to the needs of elementary school children. Whether your child is a beginner reader, needs larger print, or is already confident in reading – with three different print options, the reading box adapts to your child’s learning level. What’s especially cool: There are exercises specifically aimed at identifying word types like nouns, verbs, and adjectives, forming sentences, or even telling short stories. And all of this without getting boring!
Why should you try the reading box?
Quite simply: It makes learning to read easy and motivating. With the reading box, your child has the opportunity to learn at their own pace while having fun. Imagine how proud they’ll be when they create and read their first words or sentences on their own! You can also easily adapt the exercises to everyday life by setting small challenges or developing creative games.
Another trick to learn to read: 5. Reading games
Animal Poop Reading Game
Animal poop can be a pretty funny topic, can’t it? My youngest son doesn’t find reading particularly exciting. He developed this game with me, and we laughed ourselves silly. The Animal Poop Reading Game offers four different ways to play, meaning plenty of variety for the brain.
Animal Reading Game: Improve your reading skills with swan necks, zebra stripes, or cow pats.
Notice something? This one is about compound nouns that always have something to do with an animal. The Animal Reading Game is a varied game using the game template The Snail Rail. It is designed to playfully introduce children in grades 1 and 2 to the world of reading and improve their reading skills. This entertaining game is also a great way to motivate children who are lazy readers and spark their enthusiasm for reading.
Guess the Animal Reading Game: Exciting Adventures in the Animal World
Are you ready for an exciting journey into the animal world? With the Guess the Animal reading game, you can expand your general knowledge in a playful way. In this ladder game, your imagination knows no bounds! Guess which animal is hiding behind the various clues and climb the ladder of knowledge. Whether in the bushland or the jungle – with this game, you’ll not only learn to read but also learn exciting facts about the animal world. Which animal lives in the bushland? Which animal can climb and lives in the jungle? Here, you can ask and answer questions. There are no limits to your imagination.
Who are these games suitable for?
These reading games are perfect for students in grades 1-3 who want to improve their reading skills in a fun way. Even for children who are reluctant to read, these games are a great way to spark a love of reading while expanding their general knowledge.
Conclusion: Playful reading for more joy and success
Learning to read doesn’t have to be boring, let alone strenuous. With the right learning methods and creative learning materials, you can motivate and support your beginning reader in a playful way. The reading games presented here, such as the Animal Reading Game, the Guess the Animal Reading Game, and the humorous Animal Poop Reading Game, offer creative and varied ways to promote your child’s reading skills. Additionally, materials like coloring by words help train fine motor skills and concentration while making learning fun.
With these approaches, practicing reading becomes a positive experience that not only helps your child progress academically but also awakens their curiosity and joy in learning. So, leave the frustration of school behind and use these quick and easy ways to make reading engaging for your child.
Help, my child still can’t read!
What if, as a parent, you simply didn’t care whether your child could read or not? Then you would consciously take the pressure off, and your child would feel that too. In this article, you’ve learned five creative ideas for learning to read through play that can help your child improve their reading skills without losing the fun of learning. Yes, this is a far cry from textbooks, but let’s be honest, funny word games or interactive reading apps are probably more engaging than a boring text in a German textbook.
Remember that your child learns much faster and easier with joy and enthusiasm than through boring cramming. By turning reading into a little 15-minute adventure, you not only support literacy skills but also help develop curiosity and creativity. This is learning again, because the brain’s basic needs are met.
Feel free to use the reading tips and simply give your child the time they need.
Have fun reading and discovering together.