How to encourage your kid to read more

For many of us, reading is a comfort and pleasure that is hard to explain to non-readers. Reading can be a fantastic source of knowledge and a powerful form of escapism. Just like music, certain books can take us back to important moments from throughout our lives. We can take a book to a café or on holiday with us, or we can curl up in bed with a book. And with devices such as Kindle making it easy to carry thousands of books wherever you go, it is now easier than ever to make reading an integral part of your life. With so many different options for entertainment and education available today, is there any benefit in encouraging others – especially children – to read more?

The benefits of reading at a young age

This might seem obvious, but reading is at the heart of a formal education. Numerous studies have shown that strong language skills are the basis for literacy development. Simply put, reading exercises a child’s brain. When children learn to read at an early age, their vocabulary and general knowledge expands. They will also have improved attention spans and better concentration, which can translate to improved results at school. Reading develops imagination and creativity, and can also help a child develop empathy. Perhaps most importantly, reading together can help develop a strong bond with your child.

Making the change

As any parent will tell you, nothing we do slips by young children unnoticed. What we do has a much bigger influence than what we say. If you want your children to read more, one of the most important things you can do is read yourself. Not only will this set a great example, but losing yourself in a novel might be a welcome escape from the demands of daily life and help you recharge.

If you want your kids to read more, make sure they have access to books. Leave the kind of books they like to read around your home, and you might be surprised to find that they pick them up as often as they reach for the phone or game controller.

Set time aside each day for a family reading session, or make a bedtime story part of your child’s daily routine. While it might be tempting to choose what you read to your child, letting them pick a book might make the process less painful. Once reading becomes a habit, encouraging your child to read can quickly move from being a chore to a pleasure.

Make story-time fun by taking turns reading alternate pages, or act out key sequences. Bring stories to life by dressing up as a different character each night, or create a themed hideaway that your child can escape to when they want to read. If you’re feeling creative, you could even deck out this cubby-hole in a way that reminds your child of the book they’re reading.

Iceland has a wonderful tradition – known as Jolabokaflod, or “Christmas Book Flood” – where friends and family members present each other with the gift of a book on Christmas Eve, then spend the evening reading their new books together. By making books an integral part of your gift-giving, your children will come to enjoy the anticipation of receiving each new book. This ties in with the following guide to buying gifts for children: “something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read.”

A reader for life

Starting a new book can be daunting for a child, especially if they find reading difficult. When encouraging your children to read more, the best thing you can do is help them make positive associations with reading. Start by making sure the reading material isn’t beyond your child’s reading abilities. For children who are struggling, read aloud – even when they don’t need it – and let the reading evolve to accommodate their changing life. Finally, take time to ask questions about what your child is reading. This could be as simple as “What happened in your book today?” and it will help to make you an important part of their journey.