4 Easy Ways to Raise a Reader

One of the most common questions I get as a professional in the publishing industry is “How can I raise a reader?”

Most parents hope to raise kids who love books. The more kids love to read, the better they become at reading! Kids who read as a hobby often are academically focused, too.  

I want to start by saying this: raising a reader is sometimes out of our control — some kids will have learning difficulties that work against us and make reading less enjoyable for them, or even just other interests that distract them. Take comfort: if you have a reluctant reader at home, most likely their disinterest in reading has absolutely nothing to do with what you did or didn’t do! Still, there are a few things we can do to help encourage reading, no matter how enthusiastic or reluctant kids are. 

In my experience, creating a book lover’s culture in your home comes down to five foundational concepts: 

Provide Frequent Access

The easiest way to get kids to fall in love with books is to provide them with lots of books! This can involve frequent trips to the library, listening to audiobooks in the car together, and building your own home library. The idea here is that the more books surround them, the more opportunities kids have to pick them up and fall in love! In some cases, this might mean books coming home from the library and being returned unread, but keep up the habit! You never know when the urge to read might strike or which book might spark an interest, so be patient and just keep providing access to books.

Rotate Their Book Selection

It’s human nature to tune out something that’s in our environment day in and day out. That’s why it can be helpful to rotate your child’s available books. For some, this might mean keeping seasonal books tucked away during the off-season, or it might mean picking a spot to highlight a few books at a time and then swapping them out.

Frequent library trips help keep the selection fresh, but remember that even the books you own at home may need an update! Kids’ brains grow and develop just as their bodies do, so a handy rule is to review your kids’ book selection each time they outgrow a clothing size, to see if they’ve also outgrown their books and are needing something more advanced.

Display Covers Facing Out

While it’s tempting to keep books tucked neatly on their shelves, or — in my case, to fit as much as possible onto the bookshelf — instead, try leaving books on tables, in baskets, or on the shelves with the covers facing out.

Publishers intentionally create a book’s cover to be as enticing as possible, so take advantage of that “marketing” and make sure your kids can see the covers of their books, not just the spines! A well-designed book cover can intrigue and draw your kid in, encouraging them to read on a whim.

Model Reading Yourself

One important thing to remember is that when you’re looking to create a book-loving culture within your family, being a reader yourself goes a long way! Kids often copy what they see, so if they see you making time to read, they are more likely to do it themselves, especially as they get older and become independent readers.

While I used to feel guilty taking time to read to myself for my own enjoyment, I now intentionally try to make a habit of reading in front of them, knowing that this modeling helps them in the long run, too. When we read for our own enjoyment, we send a message to our kids that reading is something we feel is important and worth taking the time for — and that they should feel the same!