How to get your kids to love reading: 5 easy tips
If you've stumbled across this blog then you're most likely looking for a way for your kids to develop a love for reading. Unfortunately, children aren't as easily swayed to put down their phone or tablet in exchange for a book, so it's up to us to get creative!
Luckily, we've collated 5 easy tips to help you grow and nurture your children's love for reading. Keep on scrolling to find out how to get your kids to love reading!
In this blog:
Tips to inspire reading in children
Reacquaint yourself with reading
If you want your child to develop an honest love for reading, then you need to have one yourself! Now is the perfect time to get back into reading yourself, as you and your child can bond and create a reading journey together.
Start browsing for some new books to read (you can even look for some books that you could read with your child) to prepare yourself for your reading journey. If you're in a bit of a reading slump at the moment, try some of these tips to get back into reading!
Give audiobooks a try
While others may scoff at the thought, audiobooks do count as reading and they're a great first step to getting your kids used to books and storytelling.
Audiobooks can help kids with fluency when they start reading, which is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with good expression. Plus, hearing a confident reader with great fluency tends to hook children into listening pretty easily.
You can pop on an audiobook every time you're in the car, like for the school run or whenever you're on your way out for a day trip.
Make use of books with movie adaptations
When given the option between a movie or a book, most kids would choose the movie. So why not take advantage of movie adaptations to encourage your child to read?
Search for some books that have movie or TV adaptations and show your kids the trailers. If they seem eager to watch any, buy the book instead and make a rule of reading the book before watching the movie or TV adaptation.
Doing this will ensure that they'll enjoy the book and be eager enough to finish it to watch the adaptation. Plus, plenty of people find that the books are often better than their TV and movie counterparts, so you're promoting love for reading over watching films and TV shows.
Help bring books to life
Books can be immersive to some, but others might need a bit more help to bring their current reads to life. A great way to encourage your child's love for reading is to plan activities that relate to their current book's storyline.
For example, if your child is reading The Three Little Pigs, take them to a farm to see some IRL. If your child is mid-way through the Harry Potter books, try the Warner Bros studios or take a trip to London to help them visualise the stories they're reading about.
Create a reading nook they'll love
To really get into a good book you need a comfy spot to sit and read. If you haven't already, make a reading nook in your home so you and your little one can sit and enjoy reading together.
Kids love fun spaces like forts filled with beanbag chairs, blankets and comfy pillows, so it can be easily incorporated into your household. You'll want to ensure your nook is a cosy place both you and your child can sit to read, filled with colourful and intriguing books and a good lamp to give you extra light if needed.
Helping reluctant readers
Is your child really struggling to get into reading? Don't worry – it doesn't mean that they hate reading, you could just need to change your approach a little!
Whether it's a lack of pictures or a boring plot, there are many reasons your child is reluctant to read. What you'll need to do is determine which types of books your child enjoys, and stick to those. Here are some book types to consider:
Magazines
Magazines are still reading materials, so if you have a picky child reader it might be good to start with a magazine that interests them.
The great thing about magazines is that they're a short read filled with images and exciting news and can be tailored to niche interests and activities.
From video games and music to fast cars and horses, there are magazines for everything – and most release new issues each month or quarter (some even release as many as one issue per week).
Book series
If you've ever read a series of books before, then you'll know how easy it is to get lost in the storyline. To help your child continue reading after finishing their first book, it's a good idea to make that first book a part of a series.
Doing this will ensure your child will want to carry on and read the second installation to find out what happens next!
Picture books and comics
A lot of text can make pages look stuffy and can put children off reading books altogether, so if this is the case for your child, a book with more visuals could be just the thing you need.
For little ones, picture books are a great way to encourage reading in small doses. Of course, if your child is old enough to move away from picture books, there are a few children's books that still incorporate fun and engaging illustrations, such as books by Roald Dahl and David Walliams.
For even older children, comics are a great way to introduce reading into their lives. Quite a lot of adults love reading comics, so these are great for teens who don't like reading big novels but don't want to read 'kiddy' books.
Non-fiction books
While many kids love fiction books, that's not the case for everyone. If your child is struggling with the books on their current TBR list, try some non-fiction books instead.
Some reluctant readers are fact-gatherers, so non-fiction books packed with cool facts about their favourite subjects (like space or dinosaurs, for example) could go down a lot better than a fictional story.
Look for non-fiction books that have lots of photos and images to make for a factual yet visual read!
Now you know how to encourage your child to read more, why not get them some books to begin their reading journey? Buy second-hand books on the musicMagpie Store to save money and help the planet! You can also buy a huge range of tech from us, including refurbished phones and refurbished iPhone models.
Did you know the average UK household contains up to £842 of unwanted tech? Dig out your old phones from drawers, cupboards and wherever else you keep them, and head over to our Sell My Phone and iPhone trade in pages to turn them into cash!
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