My 3 year old once said “Reading is boring,” and she stomped away, very upset because I asked her to read with me instead of watching a show on Youtube.
Those 3 words- reading is boring– were like daggers in my heart!
If you LOVE reading like I do, then you get it.
If you don’t LOVE reading then you’re probably rolling your eyes at me right now.
And that’s okay, I still love like you.
So whether you could get lost in a book for days or you’d rather be lost than read a book, this post is still for you. ‘Cause our kids still need to learn how to read and maybe find out that reading can be so much fun!
HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE A CHILD TO READ?
This is the easiest question to answer. To get your kids to read,make it fun!
Take the kids with you to the library or bookstore and let them pick out a new book. I’m sure they’d rather read something they are interested in instead of a book that’s assigned to them. 
More tips to encourage your kids to read…
Let the kids read in your bed. My kids think our bed is the most comfortable bed ever. When I can tell they don’t really want to read I’ll let them read in my room. This means turning on the fan, opening the blinds or turning on the lamp and making the room very comfy for them.
Grab a series of books (we’re reading Yaakov The Pirate series right now) and read them together.
Plan a project, recipe or craft that relates to the book you’re reading.
Let the kids stay up a few minutes past their bedtime, but only if they’re reading!
Designate days where electronics are strictly off limits. Reducing the amount of screen time frees up more time for reading. During the school year my kids are allowed to use electronics on Wednesdays for 30 minutes each. The weekends they are allowed more time but during the week I keep it at 30 minutes of screen time.
When we first set this rule my kids were upset! After a few weeks they got used to it and their attitudes changed. Before, they would rush through homework (or skip it) and rush through chores so they could get on games.
I was sick of it. I was tired of kid #1 missing assignments and kid #2 forgetting to do chores, all because games were more important. Freeing up more time for reading and creative play made my kids want to read. Probably just to keep busy at first but who cares?! At least they were logging in more reading time!
Speaking of logs, print out a reading log for your kids. I love keeping track of books I’ve read!
WHAT IF MY KID HATES READING?
Some kids do hate reading. And it sucks because it’s gonna feel like you are constantly struggling with them. So you gotta get creative!
I tell Gabs (the little one) to read a story with me because her baby bunny (or whichever toy is her “baby” at that moment) wants to hear the story too.
We snuggle up together in my bed, grab a few books and start reading. I like to stop and ask her questions about the story. I’ll ask her to find objects that are in the picture. Asking your kids questions about the story keeps them engaged and will help them pay attention.
ESTABLISH READING HABITS FOR YOUR CHILD
Let your kids know what you expect. I tell my son how many chapters he needs to read during his reading time. He also has to tell me what’s going on in the story. Sometimes, I’ll read the book before my kids, that way I can ask questions along the way. Most times though I google question I can ask about.
What I really want to get back into is reading with my kids at night.
My son and I read The Giver together, we both cried at some of the parts in that book and it was such an amazing opportunity for us to talk about life and compare the society from the book with our society today.
Set up a “reading hour” at home. The kids can use that hour to read and/or do an activity related to reading. Or you can read together, even if it’s only 20 minutes a day. Even a small amount of time spent reading will benefit your kid more than time spent on video games!
A FEW BOOKS WE’RE READING
Yaakov The Pirate Hunter is a sci-fi adventure novel about a bright and daring whiz kid named Yaakov who hunts down a modern-day pirate, with the help of robots.
My son tells me this book is full of adventure, complete with treasure hunting and island traveling!
Here’s a little more about the book from Amazon:
Yaakov Peretz is out to catch a pirate.
One quiet morning, the Peretz children discover a pirates’ treasure map in their family’s robot. It leads them into the Mojave Desert, where they soon unearth a mysterious treasure chest stolen from a Santa Barbara billionaire named Aharon Sapir.
Yaakov and family manage to return the treasure and to outwit the pirates who stole it, but then learn of a greater danger to the Sapir family fortune.
On a distant island rests the Sapirs’ most sacred heirloom: the world’s oldest Torah scroll, an artifact worth a fortune.
Another pirate is after the ancient scroll, and the Peretzes’ trusted robot dealer may be involved. The Peretzes journey to the other side of the globe to track down a ruthless scoundrel with criminal intent.
To succeed, Yaakov must decide between saving his own prized invention and protecting a greater good.
Check it out here **our affiliate link! 😉
Love Family is a super sweet book that reminds me of being a kid. I swear, everything in this book reminds me of my family!
This story “tells a warm tale of a young girl and her cousins and the wait for a big family meal. The sweet story and stunning illustrations communicate the magic of family love.”
The cool part about this book is that you can customize the race and/or ethnicity of the main characters that most reflect your own family, loved ones or community.
Awesome right?
Love Family is one of our (mine and Gabs’) new favorites to read before bed. I hope she grows up to remember our family this way!
You can customize your very own Love Family by checking out this site: lovinglionbooks.com
I’d love to know what your favorite children or young adult book is, let me know in the comments!
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Each week I'll send you the latest Resource Page. In it, you'll find
- Handy tips for focusing on positivity throughout your week.
- Tricks for getting your kids to listen to your every word (just kidding,Girl-- I'm still working on getting my kids to listen!) But I will send you fun activity ideas for you and your kids to do together.
- Useful tools that I come across, like meal planning ideas and such!
Your advice on getting kids to read is awesome! Limiting distracting electronics is very important, and has been key in our home, as well.
Thank you for incorporating my books in your article. It was very thoughtful.