It’s that time of year again! The time for the Elf on the Shelf to arrive. You either have a feeling of excitement because you enjoy the visits or you have a feeling of dread because you KNOW that you are going to forget to move it like I do! But did you know that your Elf can help encourage your child to read more at home? Please read on to learn how!
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Here are some ways that have worked for me:
- When your Elf arrives for the season, have him or her bring a book that you know your child would be interested in. I have a friend whose Elf bring a stack of books with a note that tells her kids if they read all of the books to the Elf, then something magical will happen. Usually, the magical event is the Elf brings them candy but not just a piece. It is usually a bag of something candy that you can only get at Christmas time. Dawn from ithinkwecouldbefriends.com has a short blog idea here about using the book stack with your Elf.
- Have your Elf “hide” in their bookshelves. The Elf can be holding a book that might be interesting to them. The Elf can be looking or pointing at a particular book as well.
- Make it a tradition to read the book that came with your Elf each year. This book helps explain the tradition of the Elf and the one important rule the children have to follow. If you have older children possibly 2nd or 3rd grade-ish, have them read the book to their younger siblings. (Make sure you take a picture because this is a special memory for you and for them!)
- Have your Elf put Christmas themed sight word cards all around the house. Your elf can label the Christmas decorations!
- Scavenger hunt! Have your Elf leave scavenger hunt clues all around the house. This way, your child has to read the clues in order to find a present.
And finally, this is how I got my younger daughter to read this holiday season, I broke down and bought her an Elf Pet. It comes with a book and she read it immediately to learn all about the Elf Pet and the rules of the Elf Pet. Fun fact: Children are allowed to touch the Elf Pet which encourages them to hold it while they read. (Another time to get a memorable picture!)
I hope you enjoyed learning some ways that have worked for me to get your child to read more at home using Elf on the Shelf.
If you still don’t have an Elf on the Shelf but would like to purchase one, click here.
If you still don’t have an Elf on the Shelf but would like to purchase one, click here.
If you would like to purchase the reindeer Elf Pet, click here.
If you would like to purchase the Arctic Fox Elf Pet, click here.
If you have multiple children and need more than one, here is a better deal (this is what I did), click here.
Happy Reading and please feel free to leave a comment about how you have used your Elf to help with reading at home.
