Bruce and I love to read. We even owned a used bookstore for a few years. We must have about 2500 books in our house!
I always assumed since our 9-year-old grew up surrounded by books he would love to read and he did when he was a baby! There was always negotiations in the evening for how many books. He always wanted more but as he got older, reading just wasn’t fun anymore. He views it as homework but I’m hopeful that will change and his love of reading will come back and I’ve made it my mission this summer to make it happen.
Routine – Set aside a set amount of time
We are digital nomads and recently started a life on the road. Being in constant move, it’s hard to have a routine but reading is one routine that’s easy to maintain. It’s one thing that we’ve made sure happens every evening. We ask for 15 minutes of reading.
But that’s not enough, you have to find books they find interesting. And that’s been the biggest challenge for me.
Subject – Books that Feed their interest
Every child has different interests so why not get books that would feed those interests. Don’t make them just read any books and it doesn’t have to be fiction. They can read comics, non-fiction, or just general information stuff. If they find it interesting, they’ll read it!
And don’t underestimate them and base the books on their age. In attempts to find a book that our 9-year-old would enjoy, I suggested that he tries the Underland Chronicles and he is loving it! A story of an 11-year-old boy falling into the underworld beneath New York city and having an awesome adventure! If I were to filter books base on his age, I wouldn’t have come across that book.
The top two, in my opinion, are probably the most important. Of course, you need to lead by example and don’t give up! Grab a book and read when it’s time for them to read.
Here’s an old article, which has some great suggestions on how to get your kids to become avid readers and if you are looking for even more references why not check out the posts below:
Books for the Boy that does not Read
Books for the Boy That Does Not Read – Part 2
Good Books to Read for Young Adults