How to Get Your Kids to Read More

Carrie Clevenger shares some tips for getting your little ones into books

With all the reading programs out there to reward the kids for reading at school, I suppose there’s a need for an article like this. I’ll level with you: Our family are readers, kids included, so I asked my eleven year-old daughter for some help on this topic. She is the subject matter expert after all.

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Favorite movies or TV series capture the minds of young and old alike. The good news is, sometimes that story doesn’t have to end with the credits. A lot of movies and shows have novelizations, which means your kids (or you) can stay in that world a little longer. There are also books that expand the lore. I’ll provide an example: Supernatural, the television show (does anyone actually have cable anymore?). I know they have a lot of fans out there, myself included. Did you know there have been a number of novels written in that universe? There has! Another example is the Marvel Universe, which began life on the pages of comic books, which brings me to my next suggestion.

Comic Books and Graphic Novels

My eleven year-old had a great time watching at first Spongebob and then later the new My Little Pony cartoon series, and we took the opportunity to introduce her to the comic series as well. Our local comic shop offers subscription services; they pull the issues when they come in and put them aside, just for their customers. It’s also a great excuse to get out and visit the store. When my kid grew older, she let us know she was done with MLP and started picking up YA graphic novels! It was great watching her devour them so quickly. The only problem with that is how expensive an avid reader really can be, which leads into my next thought.

Your Local Library

That’s right, they are still there, right where you probably left them. Some adults visit the library, but many do not. Have you forgotten that there’s a whole building full of free books to borrow? When we visit our library, I’ve seen parents of small children checking out whole stacks of early-reader books, but not so many for the slightly bigger kids. I am heartened by how many teens appreciate our particularly large Teen Reads section. Make sure your kids get their very own library card. For some children, it’s the first taste of self-identity – having a card with their name it!

When you go to the library, let the children wander and discover, maybe you’ll learn something about them too.

Cut the Electronics Time

Now I know this is not going to be a favorite suggestion to the kids, but it’s actually beneficial to give your brain a break and ease into a nice, comfy book. The kids might hate you when you cut them off the iPads and PlayStations, but the end result will speak for itself. Make sure you have some fun age-appropriate reads lying around. Yes, bore them into picking up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, I did.

My child wasn’t into long reads until she had a altercation at school. We grounded her from electronic anything for six months. She had JK Rowling’s first Pottermore series book and I casually reminded her of it when she complained of being so bored. Along with devouring the entire series in a month, she also got into sculpting with Sculpey (a type of clay that hardens when you bake it) and drew all sorts of fascinating creatures. Not to say yours will, but my daughter thanked me for “sobering” her off the electronics. She learned to vary her activities and kept right on plowing through novels. I couldn’t be more proud!

And the Final and Most Important Thing

BE A READER YOURSELF. It’s highly unlikely your kid will want to read if all they see is YOU on the PHONE in a Facebook-coma. I am a voracious reader myself and a proud owner of approximately seven hundred books, all collected over the years. True, my kid hasn’t read but maybe one of them, but I digress, I am a pretty loyal non-fiction reader, and even though my kid might sound like the perfect brat, she still shrinks from anything that comes even close to feeling like learning about history. She has her own collection started, and every year, we go through her books, sort out the ones she’s outgrown and donate them to her school! Yes, schools generally love a good batch of free, much-loved and cared for books. And that’s one more thing you can show your kids: Read the book, love the book, and pass it on for another kid to enjoy!

Some books my own daughter enjoys and suggests:

The Wings of Fire series, by Tui T. Sutherland

Smile, a graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier

Geekarella, by Ashley Poston

Pretty much Harry Potter anything :)

Hey, if you have any books for kids to suggest, leave a comment!