How to help your child fall in love with reading!

How to help your child fall in love with reading!

Ready to spark a lifelong passion for reading in your child? Discover simple, powerful ways to make reading a cherished family activity that boosts their happiness, well-being, and success!

Your step-by-step guide to reading fun!

Making reading a daily habit can be easy and incredibly rewarding. Follow these simple steps to start your family’s reading adventure today!

1. Read aloud daily

Spend around 20 minutes reading to your child every day. This simple act shows them that reading is a delight and, importantly, it shows them reading is ‘what we do’ as a family.

2. Give them free choice

Let your child pick the books! Visiting a library or bookshop together and allowing them to choose what they want to read, or what you read to them, gives them a sense of control and makes reading more exciting.

3. Offer lots of variety

Provide a wide range of reading materials, from books and graphic novels to magazines to comics. Seeing characters and situations they can relate to makes reading more engaging.

4. Create a reading routine

Set aside a special time for reading each day. Turning off screens helps create a calm, focused environment for you and your child to connect and to escape into a story together.

5. Make it fun!

Use different voices for characters and get cozy during story time. The goal is pleasure, not pressure. Show them reading is a treat, not a chore!

6. Connect school reading to home

Ask your child about what they’re reading at school and find ways to build on it at home. If they’re exploring a certain genre or theme in class, look for books or activities that match! This not only reinforces their learning but also shows them how reading can connect to the world around them in a fun and meaningful way.

Why it works: the magic of reading together

The research is clear: reading for pleasure has a huge positive impact on children’s lives! It is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future academic success.

When you read to your child, you are not just sharing a story; you are building their vocabulary, improving their language skills, and boosting their chances of becoming a confident, independent reader. Studies show that children who are read to daily are far more likely to read on their own. This shared time also reduces stress, strengthens your bond, and improves well-being for both of you!

Real stories from families like yours!

See what a difference reading together has made for other parents and their children!

It’s amazing how reading together can improve both parent and child’s mood.

Jim, dad to E (9) and S (5)

Since reading more her screen time has gone down, she is a lot calmer, seems more content and her moods and sleep have improved. She is really enjoying our reading time together.

Mum to an 8-year-old girl

My son’s attitude to reading is definitely improving and he even talked about reading a chapter on his own today which is unheard of!

Mum to a 10-year-old boy

I think Mum is really happy when she reads to me because she just always has a smile on her face…it makes me feel really happy because she’s enjoying it and I’m enjoying it.

Girl, age 9

We now make sure that we have this time as we both enjoy it and it is a great part of our relationship!!

Marco, dad to J (8)

The arguing has stopped, or at least slowed right down, and he is just doing things when he is asked... J made his bed, got dressed and brushed his teeth this morning, all without being asked. A first?!

Jack, dad to J (4)