A voracious reader is described as a bibliophile or a bookworm. They are known for their fond love towards reading and are often seen immersed in their collection of books. Reading comes as a favourite hobby to most people who enjoy sitting in their cosy corner with the company of a book and a cup of coffee. The habit of reading develops and gets better with time and that can only happen if the activity is inculcated amongst children from an early age. They get exposed to a wide range of words which strengthens their vocabulary and polishes their language. It stimulates their mind, improves their focus and concentration. It makes them happy as they are transported into a world of imagination. Books that have interesting and meaningful text along with creative and powerful visuals leave a lasting impact on the children’s memories.

Reading undoubtedly has tremendous advantages. There are several exciting activities that can be performed, and tasks undertaken to engage children further after a reading session. Most IB schools in the UAE practice post reading activities with their elementary graders to reinforce language development. Let’s see examples of a few post reading activities that you can practice:

Meanings of Words

While reading, kids are made to underline important, difficult, and unique words from their book. They can do it themselves as per their age level or be aided by a parent or a teacher. Post reading, the kid is made to note down those words in a diary, find out and write the meanings of the same, understand and remember them. That is how it begins to build their word bank and vocabulary.

Pronunciation

There are many words that are commonly mispronounced. If these mistakes are not pointed out in the beginning, the wrong pronunciations stay on which gets difficult to correct later. Hence while reading, such commonly mispronounced words are highlighted from the book and post the session the children are made to speak those specific words again as they are meant to be aptly pronounced.

Narration

This is a post reading activity where a kid is made to summarise and narrate the story in a nutshell that they have read and present it to the entire class. It shows how much they were able to grasp and remember and reproduce it in their own style. These are the early steps to them becoming confident public speakers.

Enactment

A story is incomplete without some drama. After a book reading session, children literally get to experience the world of theatre in their little classrooms or at home with their siblings and friends. Out of the many characters in the story, parents and teachers allocate one character to every child. Then they bring the story alive with acting, dialogues, costume, dance, and a whole lot of fun.

Quiz

In this post reading activity, kids get to question each other related to the story that they have read. Teachers usually prepare two different sets of questions, and the kids are also divided into two sections, one team as the host asking questions and the other team as contestants answering the questions. Then the teams switch places with the second set of questions, so they get a feel of both sides of the quiz. They have to remember the story aspects clearly to excel at this activity. Kids not only enjoy this, but it also promotes healthy competition amongst classmates.

Get inspired

Stories often have inspiring real-life personalities and fascinating instances mentioned about their life and the wonderful feats achieved by them. Post the reading session, teachers ask the students to pick their favorite person from the book. Then they have to explain why that personality inspired them or who they would like to be when they grow up. They can also ponder about what kind of field or career path they would like to choose later and share it with the class.

Moral of the Story

Post reading a book or any amazing story or a knowledgeable document, kids are asked as to what their keepsake after the activity is. They are made to share their learnings, the values, and the key points that they found crucial.

‘Highlights Library’ which is available for subscription in the Middle East, including Dubai & GCC member countries, goes the extra mile for educators when it comes to support. Educators have access to hundreds of instructional resources to incorporate into lessons, in-class activities, or at-home reading support. It is a fabulous digital reading platform that fosters a child’s love of reading. With thousands of books at their fingertip students can enjoy a world of imagination and exploration personalized just for them. The mission of ‘Highlights’ is to help children become their best selves by publishing content and creating experiences that engage, delight and foster joyful learning.

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