3 Ways to Cultivate a Love of Reading in Your Child

Do you remember when you were a child? Those times when you got lost in the pages of a good book, from fantasy adventures in C.S Lewis’ Narnia to the travails of the Baudelaire children in the Lemony Snicket books from Daniel Handler. These are the books that took you into another time and place, and if you are anything like us, you were probably gripped from one page to the next. But what about your children? Chances are, they probably enjoyed a good story when they were very young, but as is the case with so many children these days, books suddenly lose their appeal as they get older. From smartphones to video games, our children’s attention is fixated on the screen rather than the written page. And what a shame that is! However, we do have some tips that you may well find useful, especially if your children haven’t opened up the pages of a good book recently.

1. Make use of new technology

If your child is glued to one screen or another for most of their downtime, make use of that fact. There are smartphone apps available, that can both teach your children how to read, as well as offer a library of fantastic books, quite often for free. You can also buy the latest children’s books on specific reading apps, such as Kindle or on Google Play. While the purists among us regret the decline of books in paper format – the feel of the pages, the smell of the paper – our children have moved on, so it’s important to keep up with the times if we expect them to experience the love of reading.

2. Compare film and tv adaptations

Many children’s books have been adapted for the screen. Lemony Snicket has recently become a hit Netflix series, and Dav Pilkey’s silly but fun Captain Underpants has become a popular animated movie now available on DVD. There are a legion of other adaptations, of course, from the Narnia movies through to The Hunger Games (for older children). Watch these movies and tv shows with your kids, and remind them that they are also available in the written format. Chances are, your child will love the screen adventure so much, that they will be inspired to return to the characters they engaged with through the storybooks that came before.

3. Give your children a choice

There are probably books you loved as a child that you consider essential reading for your kids. That’s fine, but don’t assume they share the same taste as you. Don’t force them into reading something – a surefire way to turn them off – but rather, encourage them to pursue books that are relevant to what they are interested in. From books for the budding ballerina to sci-fi tales for those interested in all things intergalactic, let them choose for themselves. From novels to comic books, it doesn’t matter what they are reading (provided the material is age-appropriate), it’s the fact that they are reading something that matters.

The final word

If your children love reading, then great! However, if you have been having problems getting them to pick up a book recently, we hope our ideas come in useful. Let us know if you have any further tips. Thanks for reading!

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