5 Ways To Get Your Kid To Actually Enjoy Reading

It’s hard to get our kids to do, well, pretty much anything. And reading is definitely one of those things, especially as they start to get older.

When kids are little, the ol’ “dinner, bath, storytime” routine is about all you need to get them excited about books. But as they get older and more independent, they may not be as enthusiastic about reading for pleasure. For some kids, reading doesn’t come easily — and how many of us enjoy doing things we aren’t great at? (Looking at you, gardening.) For other kids, reading might feel easy enough but may not seem interesting enough to do on their own.

No matter where your reader is on the reluctance scale, there are steps you can take to encourage them to develop their joy of reading. With a little guidance, kids will willingly — even enthusiastically — dive into a book. Let’s break it down.

Feed Their Interests

Whatever your kid is into, there are books about it, guaranteed. A good place to start is by asking yourself what you consider “worthwhile reading.” If you insist they stick to classics or medal winners, you may miss out on their natural enthusiasm of reading about things that interest them — whether it’s space, horses, animals, roller skating, engineering, the Wild West or wrestling. (And by the way, graphic novels still count as reading!)

Give Them Options (& Let Them Choose!)

If we really want to expand our kids’ knowledge and feed their curiosity about the world around them, we need to give them a ton of book choices. But you can’t exactly bring an entire library of books into your home.

Or can you?

Yes actually, you can! Enter, Epic. A digital reading platform with a collection of over 40,000 digital books from top book publishers. With Epic, your kids will never run out of exciting things to read. Epic provides kids a safe place to explore their ever-changing passions and interests. Kids get a personalized experience to keep them reading with daily age- and level-appropriate recommendations tailored specifically to their tastes while parents get to easily see and track reading progress.

Epic grows with kids, too, tracking their progress and expanding their reading options as they become more confident readers and diversify their interests. Have a little one who isn’t quite reading on their own yet? No worries, Epic’s got them covered too, with “read to me” options, videos, and audiobooks. It really is like putting an entire library in the palm of your kid’s hand. Oh, and did we mention it’s ad-free? Hallelujah!

Read Aloud

The joy of listening to a story is something our ancestors discovered ages ago. Sometimes parents think listening to a book isn’t as valuable as having kids actually sound it out themselves, but listening to read alouds is an excellent way to foster a love of reading — especially for kids who are still building their confidence as a reader. Hearing a story read aloud enables them to access the treasures inside a book while motivating them to keep trying on their own.

Create Space

If you’ve ever cozied up under a blanket with a book and a cup of tea, you know how making a space extra cozy makes reading even better. And honestly, it can be hard to get lost in a story when there are distractions all around. Designate a spot in your home that’s just for reading. If you don’t have space for a reading nook, put a blanket, pillow and a flashlight in a closet or corner of the laundry room. Maybe even a small shelf or basket of books. A dedicated space cuts down on distractions and also makes reading feel like a special activity with its own comforting rituals.

Let Them Catch You Reading

We know, we know: you’ve heard it a million times. But you really are your kids’ most influential role model. No matter how many times you tell them books are awesome, nothing gets through to them like seeing you genuinely enjoying reading yourself. In addition to reading where your kids can see you, you can model how you choose what to read. Help them understand what sorts of questions to ask to find a good book. With the huge variety of titles available on Epic, you can hunt for books anywhere, anytime, and on any device — even while you’re in the dentist’s waiting room. Invite them to browse options with you, and show them how to build their collection. It’s a great way to forge a connection not only with books, but with each other.

Because that’s really what reading is about, right? It’s about connecting. It’s about exploring the world around us and expanding our knowledge, our awareness and our humanity — themes that are especially important right now. And it really doesn’t get much better than watching a kid grow their empathy and compassion for others right alongside their love of reading.

Epic is inspiring the next generation to develop a love of reading and learning. Learn more at getepic.com.