How to Encourage Your Kids to Read More Books
Doesn’t it seem like your child reaches for the TV remote more than they reach for a book? Learn how to encourage your kids to read more books!
Be sure to check out our extensive book lists for kids!
Today, kids are all about touch screens and phone apps.
I know my kiddos could easily play Angry Birds Go all day long.
(Thankfully they also love their educational apps, too.)
Instead of reading, many kids would rather wait for the movie to come out or they do not realize that many movies that are released were actually based on books.
When Harry Potter came out in the theaters, I recall my niece saying she had never read the book.
Why would she? She could just go see the movie!
I about passed out.
Often the books are even better than the movie.
If you need some book inspiration, be sure to check out my Listmania Book Lists.
Here you can get a few ideas of how to encourage your kids to read more books.
Go to the library
One of the easiest ways to encourage your kids to read more books is by taking them to the library.
For younger children, many public libraries offer story time.
Our local library even has craft days to get kids in the door.
For older children, it gives them the time and space to explore any type of book they could imagine.
Since library books are only lent out for a certain amount of time, kids have to finish reading it before they have to return it, encouraging them to invest the time into the book rather than letting it sit on their nightstand.
Use e-Readers
Most tablets can be used to read eBooks, but they can also be used to surf the web or play games.
By sticking to just an eReader, kids have no choice but to read.
Tablets are not necessarily all that bad for reading, most offer animated books for younger children and audio books for older children and adults.
Personally, we use my iPad for story time.
I’m currently in love with Reading Rainbow for my younger one.
For toddlers that cannot read, interactive books may be the best way to spark their interest at a young age.
Mom or dad can read the story, while their toddler can poke the screen and explore the corresponding scene.
We also use the iPad as an incentive for the kids to get ready quickly at bedtime and for special cuddle time.
Take Turns Reading
Any child old enough to read can take turns reading with their parents or even another sibling.
Adults can help their children with pronunciation, and it is a good way to spend quality time as a family.
Many hospices, hospitals, libraries and other public places often look for people to come in and read to patients, the elderly or small children that cannot read to themselves.
For a teenagers this is perfect practice for reading out loud and for a good cause too.
You can never get your kids volunteering early enough!
Have an Electronics Black Out
For just an hour a day, or even just once a week, have an all out electronics blackout.
Turn off the TV, the computer, cell phones and any other distracting device (unless it is an eReader) and pick up a book, magazine or newspaper.
There is a saying that goes ‘monkey see, monkey do’, and if kids are used to seeing everyone around them read, they too will be encouraged to read more books.
These are great tips, Jennifer! I am definitely going to check out Reading Rainbow for my daughter. I enforce black out times too.
The other day I put a box of like 20 books in the living room and walked away…20 minutes later the 6 yo was reading to the 2yo….even with the TV on! My kids almost all go to bed with books so they are flipping through/reading as they are going to sleep or when they wake up.
That’s really awesome! I love it when the kids “disappear” in the house only to be reading.
These are really great tips! Isn’t it sad that these days kids don’t read as much as we did when we were little?
Hi! Stopping by from Mom Bloggers Club. Great Blog!
Have a nice day!
I couldn’t ever stop reading as kid! There are just so many distractions nowadays. But I am always glad to find my kiddos sneaking off with books.
I really like these ideas. I was just lamenting the other day to someone that my kids don’t read enough. I’m going to try some of these – thanks!
Good luck! These have worked for us. My boys are still addicted to their video games but they also really do love to read.
We are on the same page today. I shared some fun ways to get kids interested in reading and shared 6 fun ways to get them to read over the summer. 🙂
I need to implement this! Great suggestions Jenny!
I found u through the linky at The Super Mommy Club! 😀
Uh & I’m scheduling this for my fb page for tomorrow! 🙂 Hope it helps! 🙂
Awesome! I’m glad you found me and thanks for sharing my tips 🙂
Really good tips and a worthy topic! I hate to point it out, but the rainbow of books photo doesn’t do your article justice… In the lower left corner, one of the red books’ title jumped out at me immediately, ‘RAPE’. I’m sure this is totally unintentional!
Oh my goodness. How horrifying! Thanks for pointing out.
We don’t play video games or watch tv until at least 2pm every day (we homeschool) so they read a lot more on their free time now. At bedtime I will say, “do you want to go to bed now or stay up and read?” That works wonders! They always pick reading over bed. When they do go to bed they can listen to audio books for an hour. When they wash dishes they listen to a book on Librivox (great app for free audio). When we go to the store or take a trip I ask them to bring a book and a toy (I don’t usually let them bring video games anymore). They will end up reading at some point of the trip. At drives throughs we have been asked a lot, “how do you get your children to read?”
Love the blackout idea.
Fighting with technology is tough… but at night we turn off all screens and I find my boys picking up the books to wind down from the day.
These are all great ideas but what do you do when they won’t work with a teen? We are trying to bring back a love of reading in my stepson – he can read books of his choice (with approval), we go to the library and book store, try to limit electronics, etc. He still finds it a chore and both his dad and I love reading.
I would move to graphic novels. There are a ton of fabulous books that are in the form of graphic novels and speak more to a teenager. Also, I would think about directing him toward non-fiction that directly hits his interest.
I would also consider why it is a chore — is he a slower reader? Does he have trouble reading? My son has Dyslexia and it certainly can impede his enjoyment of reading some days. Think about audio books that may prove more interesting and easier to digest.
These are just starting points but some things to think about when you have a kiddo who doesn’t like reading.