Unlocking Reading Skills: Create Book Activities

Before you can write, you're going to have to learn to read. Whether it is you, your child or your student, I hope these tips could help!

From immersive storytelling experiences to inventive writing prompts, this is an enchanting portal for young minds to realize their full potential. Discover the power of reading as a voyage of awe and writing as a path of self-expression, bridging the distance between the love of stories and the pleasure of creating them. 

Let us start by finding out what tickles your or their fancy. Genres and themes would be the best place to start. When I was pre-teens, my sister and I loved horror and myth stories. We devoured books like crazy. Recess? Who cares! I have to read in the library. Maximo D. Ramos? I have to find his most obscure books in other sources. Then we progressed to RL Stein and Goosebumps. We also had a collection of Nancy Drew and Enid Blyton at home, not to mention those Time Life Encyclopedias. Dinosaurs? I'd name them like Pokemons.

Now, choose a topic or genre. Then read something along those. You know, Amazon suggests you books based on your searches and purchases.

Now, let's make things fun. After reading, let's do some fun activities.

In the age before TikTok, I did scrapbooks and collage boards for fun. The height was during my Harry Potter Phase. I also created games based on Harry Potter. Note, this was before the merch and the movies. 

For books that had a good concept but I did not enjoy the ending, I wanted to rewrite my own ending. It was an activity that my high School English teacher made us do. We were given a story and asked to change the ending however we wanted.

Now, it is the age of technology, there's so much more we can do like make a BookTok or TikTok about the book. You can make trailers. you can even redesign the covers. All this can be done with various tools, especially with AI. (Don't be afraid to experiment!)

You know what else you can do? Create challenges! Challenge other readers. Challenge your friends on Social Media! Challenge your kids! Ignite the competitive spirit!

I hope you enjoyed these tips.

I want to impart my knowledge as a writer and hope to learn from other writers as well. 

Never stop learning! I'll never be the best writer but I know I'll forever continue to improve. Reading is a way to help improve. You cannot be a writer unless you are also a reader. So, unlock those reading skills!