How to encourage a love of reading in children

World Book Day is a fantastic opportunity to encourage children to read for pleasure, to support their independence when it comes to choosing books, and to embed a habit of reading that will benefit them throughout their lives. The World Book Day website focuses on the importance of reading for pleasure. How can we, as parents and carers, encourage a love of reading from a young age - read on to find out! 

Start reading early 

The first step to developing a life long live of books is to start young. While babies and younger toddlers may not fully understand the storyline, the calming sound of a parent reading to them is known to create positive associations, help with language skills and build bonds. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine found that regularly reading to babies improves language scores as early as 9 months of age and, importantly, sets up positive habits for the future. 

The importance of bedtime reading 

Reading a bedtime story to your little one is a wonderful way to have some important one-to-one time, but it also has a lot of benefits. It contributes to brain development, enhances language skills and improves logic, according to an article from The Childhood University. As well as increasing academic ability, reading a bedtime story helps to foster a lifelong love of books. Cuddling with a parent for a bedtime story reduces cortisol levels, helping them to relax and unwind from the day. By cultivating this sense of comfort, we can create a positive association that children will seek to recreate by reading independently. 

Bring books to life for young children 

For primary school children, it can help to find ways to bring the book and characters to life off the pages. Adding this extra element of fun can capture their imaginations and help with discussing the storyline and plot development.

Book in a box

Before you start this activity, have a chat about books your kids have read and enjoyed. Get them to pick a book, and a scene, that they want to base their creation on.  This is a great way to get the children thinking about the setting of their chosen book and how the author has used words to create a picture in the reader's mind. Once your scene is chosen, you’ll need a cardboard box. Any size is fine, depending on how creative you’re feeling, but a shoe box is perfect in our experience. Using craft materials and items out of the recycling, create your very own book scene in a box!

Create new book illustrations

If your little one is a budding artist, then get them to engage with their favourite book by creating illustrations or a new front cover. Is there something that’s not shown in the pictures inside? A favourite character or moment? Get them to draw what the author has described. Do they think the front cover could be better? Great! This is your opportunity to get them thinking about the story and using their imaginations.

Link reading to their hobbies 

One of the best ways to encourage a love of reading in children is to support them to find books that they can engage with. Try linking book choices to something they already love. If your child has a passion for art, dance, sports or gardening, have a look for books that have a character that shares that passion. And remember, reading doesn’t have to be fiction and story books, many children will love reading non-fiction books - from facts about animals or the human body to science and history.

Bring books to life for older children

Write a book review

Slightly older children might like to write a book review, to share with their classmates. Encourage them to think about the story development, setting, and characterisation, as well as simple things like what they did and didn’t like. One of our team tried this at home and was told it was “boring” by their pre-teen. - she soon changed her mind when her parents offered to put the review on Amazon for all to see!

Be a roving book-day reporter 

Older children might enjoy learning about the books that older generations enjoyed as a child. Get them to interview friends, family and grandparents and write up their answers as a magazine interview. What did they read? How much time did they spend reading? What was their very favourite book and why? If they aren’t into writing, get them to film the interview.

Create a poster or advert

We’ve all been to the cinema and seen posters lining the halls or trailers before the film starts. Challenge your child to read a new book and then create a blockbuster-style poster to advertise it to other people. Get them to think about an exciting strapline and visuals to entice people to read it. You could get them to take this to the next level by encouraging them to get together with friends and create a book trailer using your phone as a video camera (great to look back on in later years too!). 

With all of these activities, the focus shouldn’t be the output - that’s just a nice extra! It is the process of getting kids excited about books that counts. The World Book Day website has a host of resources to help. The Twinkle website also has some great pre-planned activities, from bookmark making, word searches and word-bingo, to “I Love Reading” activity packs. 

Screen-time vs book-time 

Many parents worry about the impact of too much screen time, and we’ve written before about the benefits of getting kids out in the fresh air versus staying indoors on a screen. However, even the book and sports lovers amongst us acknowledge that screen time is a part of life for our kids. Try to use it to their advantage!

Wordy-apps and games 

There are lots of apps out there that are designed to encourage a love of words. From Alphabear and Spellie for younger children to Word Beach and Word Cookies, or Wordle for older wordies. They aren’t books – that much is true – but they associate words with fun, which is an important part of the journey! Apps like Calm and Audible also have some lovely bedtime stories for children to listen to as they drift off too. 

Use sites like Twinkle BBC Bitesize or CBeebies to find some great word searches - some of which are themed to book day. Old-school games can help too – think Scrabble, Upwords and Yahtzee – or even a traditional game of hangman.

From page to screen - and back again! 

The Harry Potter series is a great example of how films can send children searching the shelves for books. Engaging storylines, great characters and plot twists mean that children are keen to read the books - even after watching the films! There are plenty of other examples of where books have been made it great films - if your little one struggles to engage with books, then this could be a good way to pique their interest. For younger children, some great TV shows encourage a love of words - one of our favourites is Alphablocks. It is an oldie, so you might need to get on YouTube, but it is a goodie!

Children’s book influencers 

Yes, really! There are lots of online influencers who are focused on encouraging kids to read - from TheReadingRainbow and HelpingKidsRise on TikTok, to StoryTime PlayTime on YouTube and McGrammar. Find a comprehensive list here.  As always, we recommend parental preview/supervision for any online content, particularly anything on social media channels. 

Libraries and bookshops

Sign up for a library card 

Most towns and cities in the UK have a local library or mobile library van. Membership is free and, once signed-up, children are usually allowed to take home a handful of books at a time. Getting the children used to visiting the library and browsing the books can help to get them excited about reading - all without spending a penny. No local library? Amazon Kindle and Audible offer digital subscriptions too - giving kids access to their own virtual library!

Events at libraries and bookshops 

Many local libraries and bookshops hold events designed to build enthusiasm about reading. From simple “story-time” sessions for younger children, to “meet the author” events. Search your local Facebook group or pop into your local library for more information.