For many parents, this past week has been concerned with going back to school, whether carting your excited four-year-old off to reception, or slightly begrudging teen to secondary school. One thing that your child- no matter their age- will be faced with in their time at school is reading, from twelve-page children's books to the Merchant of Venice. 

We love books, and we love to see younger people enjoying reading the way we did when we were kids. Today, we wanted to share some tips that highlight how to get your child into reading. 


#1: Encourage Your Child to Read

The keyword here is encourage. Reading is a leisurely activity that many people fall madly in love with (and for good reason!). Make sure that you communicate that to your child that reading is fun, and not something that should be checked off of a list like homework or a chore. If you yourself like to read, let your child see you reading! If your kids are young, make reading an interactive activity, where perhaps you read with them. If you have an older child, open them up to literature that they may enjoy. If they're falling asleep reading their assigned book for GCSE English, don't fret; there's likely something out there that they'll love!

#2: Let Them Choose

In keeping with the fact that reading should not feel like homework, let your child choose which book they want to read. There is of course a grey area here; if your five year old decides that they want to read American Psycho, then maybe pump the brakes a little, but being unnecessarily strict with your child's reading material is anything but encouraging. 

#3: Talk About It

Talk about reading with your children! Find out what they like or don't like about the books they've read. Talk to them about the stories inside the books they're reading. If your child is older, maybe engage them in conversation with a "Have you heard of *insert book here*, I think you'd really like it!"

#4: Keep a Record of Achievement 

This approach has proven to be succesful with younger children in particular. Children can be motivated by a sense of achievement, and treating reading- especially if your child is reluctant to engage with it- as something to attain or achieve, they may take to this. 



#5: Visit a Library or Bookshop!

Returning to the idea of letting your kids choose what books they want to read, few places are better for such a  thing than libraries or bookshops, where there are seemingly endless discoveries awaiting them. We know for sure that our love of reading found its spark in a public library!