How To Raise Readers
Some children will grow up as bookworms, others might need a little bit more encouragement to pick up a book and read. We've compiled a list of ideas that can help you to raise bookworms that we hope will inspire you and your children to be a family of readers!
1. Start them early - read to them when they're young
This might seem obvious to some, but reading to your child when they're a baby will have them being constantly immersed in words. It doesn't matter what you're reading when they're so young - read a section of a cookery book, magazine or newspaper aloud. Read your baby bedtime stories. Your child will find comfort in your voice, so keep reading to them!
2. Read yourself
Your child's biggest role model is you! If you're reading yourself, you will be leading by example. Children love to copy, so if they see their parent(s) / guardian(s) reading, it's likely they will want to join in and do the same. Factor some time into your routine each day where you and your family will read, or have a period of time each day where your child reads aloud to you to practice reading.
3. Give books as presents
Every bookworm knows that books make the best presents. By buying books as gifts at special occasions, you're opening up new worlds to them, improving their vocabulary and allowing their imagination to blossom. You will often find that a book that you've gifted ends up being a favourite that gets reread lots of times throughout their childhood!
4. Have them listen to audiobooks
If your child is too young to read independently or struggles to read, why not introduce them to audiobooks? If you have a library membership, you can download apps such as Libby or BorrowBox which will give you access to thousands of audiobooks. You can go through and select the age-rating and genre, which means you can pick something out that will be appropriate for them and that they will hopefully enjoy! If they don't enjoy one particular book, it doesn't matter. There are thousands more to choose from.
Whilst on the topic of libraries, a day trip to the library also makes a really fun day. If your child is at school, also make sure they take advantage of the school library as much as possible! There are so many amazing books available that you won't have to pay a penny for.
5. Help them read what they love.
Those who say they don’t like reading just haven’t found the book for them yet. So, let your young bookworm explore the many awesome genres in children’s literature and they’ll be sure to find their niche. Also whether it’s magazines, comics, short stories , paperbacks or audio books, they’ll be more likely to read for pleasure if they enjoy what they are reading.
6. Listen to the negative comments they made about books and see what you can do to turn them into positive comments
"Books are boring", "reading is difficult" - I'm sure you've all heard this at some point! If your child finds books boring, then maybe they just haven't found a genre that they love yet. There are so many genres, and people can't be expected to love every single one. If, for example, they're not enjoying a historical fiction book, change things up completely and see what they think to fantasy. Unfortunately, reading becoming easier is something that takes practice. Dedicate a chunk of time every day towards your child reading to you, or reading independently but having you on hand in case any difficult words crop up and things will get easier eventually. Practice makes perfect!
7. Get them a fun book subscription box
Gifting kids, tweens or middle-graders with a book subscription box is something that comes with a host of benefits. They'll not only will enjoy getting book mail but the contents can help keep them engaged in reading. There is no doubt that gifting can help establish relationships and enhance bonds. This can be even even more so when you gift a book, after all, it has been said that the greatest gift is a passion for reading. Depending on the age of child(ren), there are so many fabulous book subscription boxes out there to chose from. Subscription Boxes like Holly Willoughby's Kids Subscription, Imagine Me Stories and Little Box of Books greatly help build the habit of reading with some amazing books for kids. Of course there's Happier Every Chapter, our book subscription box for kids 8-14 which goes to help our mission to promote literacy and diversity in kids literature. Each themed monthly box comes with 2 bestselling books (one being diverse), 2 new short stories, author goodies, activity sheets & 4-6 lifestyle items. Our boxes can be bought as one-off purchases or as a subscription.
