How to encourage kids to learn to love reading now, for a lifetime’s worth of benefits

Learning to read is arguably one of the most fundamental lessons learned as a child. Helping your children to learn to love reading is one of the most valuable gifts they can receive.

Reading doesn’t have to be chore or an assignment and some children may be reluctant to read if it’s presented as such. Allow your child to find the magic and adventure waiting just behind every book cover and soon reading will be an imagination destination that your child craves!

Encourage Your Child to Enjoy Reading

At Kids Read Now, we know that the readers today are the leaders of tomorrow. Students reading at grade level by third grade are less likely to struggle as they move forward through life. Here are some ways you can spark your child’s interest in reading.

Give them choices

Kids love choices because it puts them in charge and gives them a sense of empowerment. Giving kids the choice of what to read is one of the first steps in creating a lifelong reader. Our summer reading program allows students to select which books they want to read, and we’ve found that students who select their own books are much more likely to read them!

Read together

Reading together encourages your child’s reading habits and creates time for family bonding! This is the time to use silly character voices, so let your imaginations run wild together! Children of all ages can benefit from bedtime stories, so read to your child or encourage him or her to read to you. If your child is passed the “reading aloud” phase, pick a chapter book or novel you can read together.

This option will give older readers a sense of independence and responsibility in preparing to discuss the book with you. You may find that some of their choices are just as entertaining and interesting to you as they are to your kids. Select a chapter each night to compare your thoughts about what occurred and what might happen the next day.

Encourage daily reading

The best way to make reading a habit is to encourage it daily! Try to set a specific time aside each day when the whole family participates in reading. During this time, try to eliminate distractions like TV, music, or other household chores, and focus only on reading. Set a timer for 15 minutes and relax with a good book!

Discuss the books they read

Invite your children to tell you about the books they’ve read. Ask them if they can relate to the book and how they might act as the main character. This is a great time to help your children relate the book to themselves, their world, other books, and really get creative with the details! Every Kids Read Now book includes a Discovery Sheet, which is a great tool for sparking an active discussion.

Offer praise for completing books

When your child completes a book, celebrate! Tell your child how proud you are of him or her and do something fun, such as having a mini dance party at home or visiting the library to get the next adventure. Excitement is contagious and reinforces reading as fun and positive behavior. If you are interested in learning more about our program, please reach out to us for more information.