There are lots of ways grandparents can encourage their grandchildren to read. Grandparents reading to grandchildren is an obvious way. But did you think about what books you keep at your house for them? How about giving books as gifts to grandchildren? I’ve got great ideas for the types of books that grandparents can keep around their house to entertain visiting grandchildren. And I’ve also got lots of ways to make book gifts more exciting! Read on for lots of great suggestions of books to read to grandchildren, books to own, and books to give grandchildren as gifts that will foster a love of reading!
Books grandparents can own to encourage their grandkids to read
It may seem obvious that grandparents reading to grandchildren can help them become good at reading and nurture a love of reading. But there’s an even easier way to help your children learn to love reading – leave books and reading material lying around.
Don’t ever allow the kids to take these books home them with them! This might seem like a good idea, but it’s not. And it’s not mean. There’s a very good reason for doing this. By requiring them to stay at your house, you increase their appeal!
What types of reading material and books should you keep around?
- Read the paper? Keep copies of the Sunday Comics. My grandmother did this for my kids and they loved it.
- Buy comic strip books – Calvin and Hobbes are one of my kid’s favorites. Peanuts – or Snoopy as you may know it – is an obvious choice. But any favorites from your childhood are a good bet as well.
- Leave books about “facts” that will fascinate kids laying around, such as the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe it or Not. These were favorites that my in-laws kept for our kids.
- Get some coffee table books that all ages will enjoy. The key is to look for books with amazing images to draw their attention. Wildlife photography, or geography with beautiful photos, and photography books about space are all ideas of subjects to explore that make easily lend themselves to amazing photos.
- Kids also love books about pets! Books about dogs and puppies or kittens and cats can entice a child to pick them up.
9 Best books for grandparents to read to grandchildren
You might hope that your grandchildren will love the books from your own childhood, but don’t expect too much. The prose style of books have changed a lot in even just 24 years. For most of these books, you probably stand a better chance of your grandchildren enjoying them if you read them aloud to them. You can even talk about your childhood stories as you read and share your family history.
Some great books to read to your grandchildren include Ramona the Pest, Little House on the Prairie, Betsy Tacy & Tib, American Girl doll books (categorized by decade or era), Henry and Ribsey, Encyclopedia Brown, Farmer Boy, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, A Wrinkle in Time, and Anne of Green Gables. I’ve included their covers and Amazon links below.
Gifts for grandparents to give to grandchildren to encourage them to read
A book isn’t at first glance going to look as exciting as say, a giant Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon. And if you’re honest with yourself, you’re probably looking to some excitement when your grandkid opens their gift! So, I recommend that a book not be the only gift given on the occasion.
Give a book to a grandchild as part of a larger gift
Another option is that a gift given with a toy, such as an American Girl doll with her book, or give a copy of LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary with that Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon.
Give your grandchild a boxed set of books
Another idea is to a giant boxed set of books. I’ve got ideas for several great boxed book sets with great kid appeal in my posts about book sets – a non-toy gift idea and even more giant boxed book sets.
Give a book series to your grandchild over time
Kids love to read book series because after they like the first book, they know they’ll like other books before they even start! For children who still find reading a lot of work, this can be a great way to get them to read more books. You can give a series all at once, especially if it comes as an enticing boxed book set, or you can give them the books one at a time over a series of occasions. This also works if you start a series that is still being written. That way your grandchild can eagerly anticipate when each new book is released!
More than 96 Best Books to give to grandchildren by age
I’ve got book lists of the best books for kids categorized by age. All of the books are books that my own kids loved as children. Reading level of children varies by age, so be sure to check out grade levels above and below your grandchild’s current grade level.