5 of my tips for inspiring a love of reading

As a new school term has started, I’ve found myself in several conversations about encouraging children to read more, and here are some of my tips based on our own experience:

1. Read yourself
I enjoy sitting on the sofa and reading books myself at the same time as my children, which I think helps children see that reading is something enjoyed by all ages.

2. Make books easily accessible
I like having different children’s reading stations around the house, with boxes (or small piles on side tables) both next to sofas and in children’s bedrooms. I regularly move children’s books around, which makes it seem like there are new books to read although they might just have been stuck at the bottom of a basket or in a shelf for a while. I store some books in a normal bookshelf, but these can be difficult to access for the children, so we therefore also have other storage options that let the children see the book covers. I’ve previously reviewed a bookshelf by Tidy Books, which meets this criteria, and I also like using baskets for books. If there’s a chapter book I’ve had out on display for a while that hasn’t been chosen, I take it away for a month or two and put it back out at a later stage.

3. Talk about books
I often get questions from the children about what I’m reading and we regularly talk about the books we read. For me, it’s not a conscious decision to do this as the phase I’m in at the moment means books play a central part of our lives, but if I were to have a phase in the future where my children are not into reading, I would like to read this post again, and remind myself to take time to discuss stories, characters, similarities between different stories, predictions and likes and dislikes.

4. Make the most of the local area
I regularly visit our local bookshop Nomad with the children, and I think it’s wonderful for them to be in an environment like this where they can talk to staff about books and get advice on what to read. I’ve also wished for books for special occasions like Mother’s Day or birthdays when the children have wanted to get us presents, and family trips to Nomad for these events have also been a hit. A local library could be another great option, and I love that children have the opportunity to choose books in school- both reading books and library books.

5. Encourage any type of reading
Whether it is dipping in and out of books, reading graphic novels or picture books, or having a favourite genre, I personally don’t think there’s a right or wrong, and I would like to encourage and inspire my children to read any appropriate book that they enjoy to continue ensuring reading is associated with a positive experience.

Happy reading!

Tags: Back to school, Children's books, Reading