Kindergarten Reading Activities: 10 Ways to Make Reading Fun!

Reading is one of the most exciting milestones for young learners, especially for those in kindergarten. At this stage, they are full of curiosity and ready to explore the world of letters, sounds, and words. But how do we, as teachers, make sure that their first steps into reading are full of enthusiasm and joy? By turning reading into a fun and engaging adventure! Here are 10 reading activities that will help you get your students excited to read and eager to learn more.

Getting Students Excited to Read

Reading is more than just recognizing letters or sounding out words—it’s about discovery, imagination, and connection. When kindergarten students are excited to read, they are more likely to develop strong reading skills, from letter recognition to comprehension skills. When we create a classroom environment where reading is seen as a fun and rewarding activity, we can help children build a lifelong love for the written word.

Why Reading Excitement is Important

The early years of education are important for setting the foundation of a child’s school journey. When students find reading enjoyable, they are more engaged, which helps with their phonemic awareness and comprehension skills. This excitement also creates independence in reading, letting young children explore books on their own and develop their literacy skills. Making reading an exciting time in the classroom also encourages a positive attitude towards learning, which can benefit them across all subjects. Bringing in some fun kindergarten reading activities will easily help build this excitement!

10 Kindergarten Reading Activities to Build Excitement for Reading

When it comes to kindergarten reading activities, you have many options. Students are just learning the basics with the recognition of uppercase and lowercase letters, CVC words, etc. You may even have some students ready to look at syllables and more!

Reading Bookmarks

A great way to kick off the school year is by handing out reading bookmarks after students pick their first “free read book.” These bookmarks can feature their favorite character or a fun design that makes them feel special. You can also have a bookmark on each of their desks during the back-to-school night or on the first day of school! This simple activity not only excites young learners but also encourages them to dive into their chosen book and start building their love for reading.

Check out both the seasonal and themed bookmarks and make reading excited!

Picture Books and Short Stories

Introducing students to picture books and short stories is a great way to build their love for reading. Choose books with fun illustrations and simple sentences to help children follow along. These stories often become a favorite part of their day, making reading time something they look forward to. Read alouds are essential and giving students the opportunity to listen and read multiple picture books a year is a great way to get students engaged in reading. 

Click on the links below to check out the read alouds!

• 20 Amazing Back-to-School Books To Read Aloud for Kindergarten
• 12 APPsolutley Awesome Apple Books for Kids and Apple Paper Bag Craft
• 13 Falltastic Pumpkin Books for Kindergarten (and a Pumpkin Craft) 
• 11 Acorn Books and a Craft for Preschool and Kindergarten

Matching Puzzles

Matching puzzles are a fun way to reinforce letter recognition, phonemic awareness, and CVC words. You can create puzzles that require students to match uppercase letters with lowercase letters. Letter sounds with corresponding images or rhyming words. This hands-on activity is perfect for small groups and helps children develop fine motor skills while they learn.

In this rhyming snowman activity, learners will build a snowman based on rhyming words.

Sight Word Scavenger Hunts

Turn sight word practice into an adventure by organizing a scavenger hunt! Hide sight words around the classroom or even at home, and let students find and read them aloud. This fun activity not only helps with sight word recognition but also encourages movement and excitement.

Sound and Syllable Sorts

Sorting activities are an excellent way to help children understand the sounds that makeup words. You can have students sort words by their initial sounds, count syllables, or even sort by short vowel sounds. These sorts are great phonological awareness activities that can be easily adapted for independent work or as part of a word work center. This playdough syllable sorting activity is a perfect activity for your learners!

Word Work Centers

Setting up a word work center in your classroom is a great idea for reinforcing literacy skills. Include activities like letter matching, CVC word building, rhyming and sight word practice. Students can rotate through these centers, working on different aspects of their reading skills in a structured yet fun environment. Any of the activities mentioned in this blog post could definitely work for word work centers! 

Check out these alphabet matching puzzles for a fun puzzle matching activity!

Mystery Puzzles

Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Create a puzzle where students have to match letters, sounds, or simple words to reveal a hidden picture or word. This activity not only helps with letter names and sight words but also adds an element of surprise, making it a favorite game for many young kids.

These alphabet mystery puzzles are a great way for learners to practice their letter matching!

Family Stories or Reading Together

Encourage students to share stories from home, whether about their favorite book, a family member, or even a pet. These family stories can be written down and shared with the class, allowing children to connect their home lives with their school lives. This activity also helps with comprehension skills and makes reading a more personal and engaging experience. If your classroom doesn’t allow for such stories, maybe try just encouraging family members to read together. It can be older siblings reading, grandparents, even babysitters! You could even pair your students with older students as reading buddies

Word Mats

Word mats are great tools that can be used in many literacy activities. Whether you’re focusing on new words, high-frequency words, or sight word practice, word mats allow students to see and work with words in different ways. You can even incorporate magnetic letters for a more tactile experience, making it one of the best ways to reinforce letter sounds and word recognition.

Learners will have a blast building CVC words with this fun school themed CVC word building center!

Alphabet Activities

Alphabet activities are super important for young learners as they help with letter recognition and phonemic awareness. You can incorporate activities like letter tracing, creating alphabet books, or even using language arts worksheets that focus on the letters of the alphabet. These activities are fundamental for helping students connect letters with their sounds and, eventually, with words.

These no-prep alphabet foldable crafts are a great craft activity to practice their beginning sounds!

Bonus Reading Activity:

Have students that need something a little extra? These sentence builders are perfect. Students create sentences and learn about sentence structure. It is a great activity for students who are already reading and are ready for the next step!

These kindergarten reading activities are perfect for all students! Making reading exciting for kindergarten students sets the stage for a lifetime of learning. By incorporating these fun activities into your classroom, you’ll help build strong reading skills and a genuine love for books. Whether it’s through puzzles, scavenger hunts, or sharing family stories, these activities are sure to make reading a favorite part of your student’s day.