We’re big readers at our house, books seem to be coming out of our ears! Have you seen Matt’s book reviews yet? We’re having fun posting those, with more to come. As we finish a book, it’s fun to keep the love of the story alive. To help us celebrate some of our family’s favorite books, keeping up the excitement, I’ve come up with a list of 10 ways to celebrate our favorite books!

1. Craft a bookmark: With some heavy paper or craft foam, you can make a fun bookmark that represents your child’s favorite book. Add crayons, markers, or stickers to help them add decorations!

2. Read Aloud with a parent: When your child finds a book that they absolutely love, read it with them. Take turns reading the pages aloud to each other.

3. Act it out: Plan a night with friends or family and act out a little play about the book. You can write up a script with a few of the ideas from the book to act out or just wing it! Everyone will love it. Plan to wear something too, decorating a costume with paper – like hats or a necklace label, or just with a certain color of clothing!

4. Write their own version of a story: Have the children re-write the story in their own words, changing up a couple of the scenes from the book. Maybe it has a new character or a different ending. Or you could give it a sequel if it doesn’t already have one… what would happen next?!

5. Get older kids reading to younger kids: I have 2 older children who love to read to their 5 year old sister. They sometimes help her read words she can recognize or even read the words for a chapter book. It’s good practice for all of them.

6. Keep a chart: If your child has a hard time getting into a book, one that will probably be one of their favorites, help them by making a chart to keep them going. You can offer a prize at the end of some sort. You could try out our post about a summer reading chart!

7. Watch the book’s movie: There are so many books that have been turned into movies. Check your local library, as they sometimes have children’s book in video format where the author reads the story as well. This is a fun and different way to see their favorite story and characters come to life.

8. Book signings near you: If you live in a larger city, often times a book’s author will be on a book tour. Go to the author’s website or the publisher and see if they have any upcoming tour dates near you!

9. Read all the books in a series: I love these days most of the books coming out are available in a series. There are a lot of 3, 4, or 5 books in chapter book series and my kids eat them up. Good ol’ Harry Potter, Fablehaven, Anne of Green Gables, Origami Yoda, Cheesie Mack, Ramona Quimby, Artemis Fowl, 39 Clues, etc.  If you can find a good book that your child loves, it’s great to find more in the series.

10. Read all the books by an author: This works well for both picture books and chapter books. Whatever book your child loves, there’s a big possiblity the author has written more books, either with the same theme or something new and different. Check the library or Good Reads to see reviews!

Here are more ways to get kids reading:

• Storybook Summer Series
• Addictive Summer Reading List
• Play the Game: I love me some 10 bucks!
• Our Family Favorite Stories
• Storytime and Snacks
• Children’s Book Illustrators

How does your family celebrate their favorite storybooks?