Mother’s Day is a special time to celebrate love, appreciation, and family connections. In the UK, this cherished day provides the perfect opportunity for parents and children to spend quality time together. One of the best ways to make lasting memories is through reading. Sharing books, telling stories, and engaging in fun reading activities can create a meaningful and enjoyable experience for the whole family.
In this article, we’ll explore how reading can be a part of your Mother’s Day celebrations, with creative activities and phonics-friendly ideas to make the day extra special.
Encourage Reading Together
Reading together is a wonderful way to bond with your child while fostering a love of books. Studies show that shared reading helps improve vocabulary, comprehension, and communication skills. But beyond the academic benefits, reading with your child also strengthens emotional connections and provides opportunities for meaningful conversations.
- Boosts Literacy: Reading aloud introduces children to new words, sentence structures, and storytelling techniques.
- Encourages Imagination: Storytelling sparks creativity and helps children develop their own ideas.
- Creates Comforting Rituals: A daily or weekly reading tradition can become a cherished family moment.
For more tips on helping children develop a love of reading, visit our Helping Children Learn to Read guide.
Themed Activities for Mother’s Day
Make Mother’s Day even more memorable with creative, book-themed activities. Here are some fun ideas:
Create a ‘Mother’s Day’ Story Together
Encourage children to write a short story or draw a picture book about their family. Some prompts to get them started:
- “My favorite memory with Mum is…”
- “If I could take my mum on an adventure, we would go to…”
- “A superhero mum story where she saves the day by…”
Craft Personalised Bookmarks
Make reading extra special by crafting unique bookmarks together. Use coloured paper, stickers, and drawings to create personalised keepsakes that can be used for future storytimes.
Cook a Story-Inspired Meal
Choose a book that features food and cook a meal inspired by it. Some ideas include:
- “The Tiger Who Came to Tea” – Bake some biscuits or make a special afternoon tea.
- “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” – Create a chocolatey treat.
- “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” – Prepare a fruit platter inspired by the story.
Connecting books with real-life experiences makes stories even more engaging and memorable.
Incorporating Phonics and Learning
Mother’s Day is a great opportunity to practice phonics in a fun way:
- Word Hunt: Create a list of words related to Mother’s Day (e.g., love, hug, mum, family) and have children find words in their books that start with the same letters.
- Rhyming Challenge: Pick a word like “mum” and ask your child to think of words that rhyme with it.
- Letter Sounds: Sound out words related to Mother’s Day and have children match them with pictures or objects around the house.
For more phonics resources, check out our What is Phonics? guide.
Building a Reading Routine
Mother’s Day can be the start of a new reading tradition! Here are some ways to incorporate more reading time into family life:
- Morning Story Time: Start the day with a short, uplifting book.
- Evening Wind-Down: Set aside a quiet time before bed for reading together.
- Themed Storytelling Sessions: Choose a theme (e.g., adventure, kindness, family) and let children pick books that match.
Consistency is key when it comes to developing literacy skills. For more insights, visit our Tips on Choosing Books page.
Involve Other Family Members
Reading doesn’t have to be limited to just parents—get the whole family involved!
- Sibling Storytime: Encourage older siblings to read aloud to younger ones.
- Grandparent Reading Hour: Ask grandparents to share their favorite childhood stories over a video call or in person.
- Family Book Club: Pick a book that everyone can read and discuss over a special meal.
Reading together as a family builds strong connections and encourages children to see books as a shared experience.
How Reading Chest Supports Family Reading
Having a variety of books available at home makes it easier to establish meaningful reading habits. Reading Chest provides carefully selected books tailored to different reading levels, helping families build a strong reading foundation.
- Our book band system ensures children receive books suited to their reading abilities.
- We offer a flexible book swapping service so children always have fresh books to enjoy.
- Our selection covers fiction, non-fiction, and phonics-based books to support different reading stages.
Conclusion
Mother’s Day is a perfect opportunity to celebrate family connections through reading. Whether through shared stories, creative activities, or phonics-friendly games, books can bring families closer together while supporting literacy skills.
Looking for a way to keep the reading fun going? Learn more about Reading Chest and discover how we can support your family’s reading journey.
Join the Celebration!
We’d love to see how your family is celebrating Mother’s Day through reading! Share your special moments with us on Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram. Let’s celebrate the joy of books together!