I lack both the expertise and patience to be a teacher, so I can’t teach you how to read.
However, I’ve worked at a public library for more than a decade and have two kids, ages 11 and 9. So I’ve learned — sometimes the hard way — how to make reading FUN.
Now, here’s my big caveat. Not every child is destined to be an enthusiastic reader. There’s a lot of different ways to learn, and they all have value. I once met jazz legend Ray Brown, and he swore that you didn’t know a song unless you knew it by ear. That’s called auditory learning, and it’s as valid as learning a song by reading the music. (Ray Brown would tell you it’s better.)
So if your kid prefers to learn by taking apart your toaster, don’t fret about their ignored bookshelf. Keep giving them toasters, and you’ll have a mechanic, engineer or inventor on your hands soon enough.
With that proviso out of the way, here are my five suggestions for making reading fun:
1. Read to them.
A survey from HarperCollins UK said that fewer than half of Gen Z parents consider reading to their children “fun for me.” It’s easy to blame screens for this attitude, but I suspect it stems from a misunderstanding.
Reading with your children isn’t just reading. It’s theater! I learned this from a grandma who transformed story books into cinema. She made reading delightful, so I couldn’t wait to read.
If you lack my grandma’s flair for the dramatic — fair — go to the library. Watch those story time geniuses at work. See how they command the attention of a room full of toddlers! Watch how they sprinkle in songs and movement. Notice how they savor when the author makes a delicious joke. And — for my grandmother’s sake — let the children enjoy the pictures.
By the way, keep reading to your children once they know how to do it on their own. One of my favorite pastimes is swapping chapters of a Baby-Sitters Club book with my daughter. (Team Claudia. All day.)
Because reading with your children isn’t just reading. It’s connection!
2. Let them pick the books.
This is the endurance test.
Don’t fight when they pick “Room on the Broom” for the bedtime book — even if they’ve been reading the same book since Halloween. Haggling turns story time into an argument, and that’s a bummer for everyone.
Additionally, don’t argue when they want to re-read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” again. It is the teacher’s job to have a curriculum. It’s your goal to let reading be fun.
If you want them to broaden their selection, bring them to the library or bookstore. If they can’t find something they enjoy, encourage them to ask the librarian for recommendations. And if your kid returns to their favorite over and over, take joy in that they have a favorite book.
3. Keep books around the house.
I work at a library. You know my bias.
That said, your child’s favorite book won’t be one that they borrow from the library. It will be one that’s on the shelf (or, more likely, on the floor) of your home.
Books can be expensive, but there are frugal ways to build your supply. If your child is younger than five, they can sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and receive a book each month until their fifth birthday. If your kid is older than that, you can still purchase books inexpensively at library sales or used book stores.
4. Let the kids be bored.
We live in an era of instant gratification. No one ever needs to be bored again. However, a little boredom is good for us.
Kids go for walks when they’re bored, doodle, and play with those toys that they forgot about.
That’s also when they pick up a book.
But they’ll only do those things if we let them be bored. So the next time they complain, don’t hand them your phone. That’s turning a technological marvel into a pacifier.
Allow them to be bored… and see what they do next.
5. It helps if they see you read for fun.
Maybe you’re not the type who reads for fun. No judgment. Like I said, there’s a lot of ways to learn.
That said, your kid will never learn to cook if you always order takeout.
I encourage you to find a book, comic or magazine that interests you and read from it. And if you hate it, ditch it and pick something else.
Keep searching, and you may find reading more fun than you remember.
