3 tips for inspiring a love of reading

With a dream of becoming a children’s author myself, I’m passionate about instilling a love of reading in young people, and it’s one of the topics I keep writing about again and again because it’s something I regularly discuss with friends. While I’ve previously written about making books easily accessible in the home, talking about books with children and modelling a love of reading, here are 3 new suggestions for ways to make books and reading an exciting part of growing up:

1. Teaching favourite toys to read
To make reading fun for new or emerging readers, children who enjoy pretend play may want to let a favourite cuddly toy or a doll practise their reading skills at home. Perhaps they can play that they listen to the toy read, or perhaps the toys have come to join a storytelling session and listen to the child read? If the toy is learning to read, perhaps you could even make a little toy-sized reading record, where the child could enjoy writing notes after each little reading session?

2. Playing library
To help encourage a love of books, I also think it can be fun to create a mini library at home as a game, sorting out favourite reads and making library cards. On a recent visit to British Library, I discovered the Knock Knock Personal Library Kit with a date stamp and cards, which I felt could make for a lovely present for older children who may enjoy organising books and keeping track of books they lend out to friends. To make a personalised library at home, it’s also possible to order stamps with children’s names, such as one from Pretty Rubber Stamps.

3. Make the most of events and exhibitions
With book festivals and storytelling events on our doorstep, there are regularly opportunities for families in London to meet authors, explore book characters, and discover new stories. In addition to local storytelling sessions, South West London has Wimbledon Bookfest and Barnes BookFest with programmes typically including author talks and family workshops. I would recommend keeping an eye out for exhibitions, with an upcoming event being Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature–celebrating the life of the Peter Rabbit author–opening at Victoria and Albert on 12 February.

Happy reading!

Tags: Barnes, Books, British Library, Learning to read, Personal library, Reading, Wimbledon, Wimbledon Bookfest