5 Fun Ways to get Students Engaged in Reading Aloud

Like most teachers, I’m constantly on the hunt for engaging ways to help students become more confident, effective, and critical readers.

Sometimes, I even go “old-school” and have my students read passages out loud in class…but reading out loud isn’t always motivating for students.

Here are just some of the wonderful benefits of reading aloud:

• Improving fluency
• Facilitating cooperative learning
• Increasing attention spans
• Promoting deep discussions
• Building community
• Closely reading texts

However, many times when I ask students to read out loud in class or small groups, I’m met with grumbles OR enthusiastic participation from the same three students.

This reaction to reading aloud got me thinking that there must be a better way to engage students in reading aloud.

Over the years, I’ve found that these ideas do just that…

Check out these five fun, unique ways to get students engaged in reading aloud in your classroom. Kids will love the way these methods change up the classroom routine, build suspense, and make reading fun!

Fun Chair

All you need for this read-aloud activity is a circle of chairs and one really fun chair. In my classroom, the fun chair can be the famous “orange chair” that doubles as my favorite homework motivator, my comfy teacher chair, an Adirondack chair, or any other unusual chair I can find. Of course, all the students want to sit in the fun chair…and they can…when they read aloud.

We start this activity once all the kids are sitting in a circle. One lucky student sits in the fun chair and starts reading aloud first. Then, when they are finished, all the kids move over one seat, and the next fun-chair-reader begins. It’s an easy reading activity, and students love getting up and moving, too!

Silly Reading Tasks

My kids go nuts over the basket of silly reading tasks. It’s filled with funny ways to read out loud. Everything from “read really slowly” to “read like you’re underwater.” I typically bring out the silly reading tasks when students are already familiar with a passage, or I want to do a bit of a reread before moving on. It’s also super fun to do with small groups or as a choral reading activity.

Spontaneous Reading

Oh, this is one of my students’ favorite ways to read out loud in class. The first step is to have all students sit on top of their desks with the reading passage in their hands. Then, simply explain that you will no longer be directing, selecting, or monitoring the read-aloud of the text. That’s right: The kids are in complete control.

Explain that once you say “start,” someone–anyone–can start reading. Then, when the next person wants to read, they should just pipe in. If two or more students start reading at once, they’ll just need to work it out (without any words). Typically, one person continues on, and then the next student starts up a bit later. It’s a pretty magical way to read. I’m always surprised by who reads (usually everyone), how much they read, and how often. It’s spontaneous and so fun!

Mystery Word

On the days when I can’t get more than a handful of students to volunteer to read in class, I bring out my mystery word envelope. In the envelope, I stick a piece of paper with a word written on it that the students will encounter during the class’s reading for the day. Then, I explain that the student who happens to read the mystery word will receive a homework pass (or other prize). All they have to do is read. Then, while students are reading, I pay special attention to the student that actually reads the mystery word. Finally, at the end of the passage, I reveal the mystery word from the envelope and reward the reading winner. It amps up the number of student volunteers every time!

Reading Dice

Here are five fun and unique ways to get students excited about reading aloud in your classroom. Kids will love the way these methods change up the classroom routine, build suspense, and make reading fun!

Reading dice are super fun to bring out when students are reading with a partner or in small groups. I have several versions of the dice to use with different types of passages. Students love rolling their reading fate, and I love how engaged they are in reading!

Each of these ideas has been successful additions to the reading instruction in my classroom. So, I hope you’ll find that your students become more confident, engaged, and effective readers in your classroom, too.

You can find printables of the ideas above in my TPT store if you’re interested.