15 Ideas to Motivate Children to Read
Gotta try 'em all
Hello, Graham here from Storygram Labs.
Summer holidays are around the corner, and we’re looking for parents who are up for trying stuff out in the real world with their kids and giving us some structured feedback — if you are interested in being involved in Storygram’s upcoming research, please email me.
And please do forward this on to anyone you think might benefit.
Onward!
P.S. Substack tells me this post might be too long for some email apps, so if it ends abruptly, try reading it on the website instead.
15 Ideas to Motivate Children to Read
1. Read to your children
Over and again, the evidence points to a love for reading developing at a very early age1. In fact, one study suggests that ‘inequality’ in reading levels is already in place by the time children reach nursery/kindergarten2.
In Australia, the ‘1000 Books Before School’ challenge gives parents a target to read — you guessed it — one-thousand books to children before they ever go to school.
Kids are sponges, and those who are regularly read to will have heard many more words before they begin formal education.
Some parents even read to their children in the womb3. However you feel about that, the intentionality and desire to instil a love of story and voice even in your unborn child cannot be faulted, and surely points to an attitude towards the child’s development that will carry into adulthood.
I would take that over a baby with an iPad, any day.
2. Tell true stories
How often do you talk to your children about your life, what you did when you were young, or the challenges and dramas that you or your parents faced? We all have history, and while not necessarily related to reading specifically, you can naturally develop a love of stories and history in children by simply telling true stories around the dinner table.
One tip to make your storytelling more interesting — try using “but, and therefore”, rather than “and then”4. This injects surprise and direction change, helping to steer you away from listing a timeline of events.
3. Invent stories
This is more taxing, but with time, could become a source of joy for all the family. Making up stories (especially if you involve the children by having them suggest characters or events) can be great fun, and teach them to value stories.
To help spark your creativity, you could create prompts to randomise the ideas, for example, you could keep a list of people or jobs, places, or actions — e.g. a policeman, a meadow, blowing up balloons. Who are the balloons for? Why is he in a meadow? You decide.
Or perhaps just open a book at random, and take a sentence as a starter and invent a story together from that.
4. Connect stories to other activities
If the child has a favourite book or character, why not have them draw, bake, paint, craft, or sing a song about them?
Whatever the other creative endeavours that they enjoy, you can reinforce a love for stories and positively associate books with fun, joy, creativity, and spontaneity.
5. Go to the library (often)
This one might seem obvious, but public libraries are a real gift. Sure, they might have fluorescent lighting, but they hold one of the keys to ongoing reading into adulthood: discovery.
In the library, your kids can go on a journey, browsing, deciding for themselves, until they have a stack of books that they can haul home. Some might not always hit the mark, but over time this process of self-discovery is a gift that keeps on giving.
You could also turn a trip to the library into a(n even more fun) trip — including a trip to a café, or a stop at the park for a snack and to read on the way home. You could add an element of surprise by taking out a ‘pot luck’ book: one that you have just pull from the shelf without judging the book by its cover, so to speak. You might be surprised, but either way, it adds a bit of fun and risk.
6. Set up a reading zone
Is there a space in your home that you could dedicate to a reading space for your kids? It doesn’t need to be big, in fact, a small and cosy corner might do the trick nicely. Get some bean bags, some nice lighting, add a bookshelf, and maybe a little hifi (more on music and sound while reading in a bit).
Creating a safe space where kids can flop down and read will indicate how seriously you take reading, as well as encourage them to rest, think, and enjoy their own space.
7. Provide access to books
Having plenty of books in and around the home means that kids always have the option of reading. A book might catch their eye one day that they hadn’t noticed before. Reduce any possible friction that would prevent them reading.
Owning books is thankfully relatively cheap, especially via charity shops — but you can always just ensure that there is a regular library trip planned to have a stack of books around the house.
8. Create reading journeys
I credit my mum’s personalised reading schemes as one of the most effective motivational tools that got me reading while I was at school and over the holidays.
How it works:
Give each child a list of books (maybe 10-15 books). Consider their interests and level of reading, but also consider how you could broaden their horizons. Give them enough range, so there are some quick wins and some longer reads.
Assign points to each book. Challenging books or those that encourage the child to read outside their comfort zone get more points. For example, as a 13-year-old, Pride and Prejudice probably wasn’t my first choice, but you might motivate me to read it with the promise of decent points!
Points mean prizes (good old-fashioned bribery) so come up with a rewards structure. Note: you might be tempted to reward them with time on TV, YouTube, or other high dopamine activities: resist! The best rewards will either reinforce more reading (for example a magazine or book of their choice), or reinforce well told stories (go to the cinema but only to watch a film that is based on a book, or go to the theatre). Some rewards can act as a distraction from more reading, which defeats the purpose.
Don’t give them points until you’ve tested them — this doesn’t have to be arduous, but you want to ensure they aren’t just totally skimming. Ask them about their favourite character, see if they can outline the plot, poke around to ensure they engaged with the story.
For reference, my mum’s reward structure was as follows:
10 points = chocolate (back when a Mars Bar cost 30p)
20 points = a book (novel) of my choice
30 points = a film based on a book (Jurassic Park was one of the first I went for).
All this can take considerable planning and effort, testing you on your awareness of your child’s interests, your knowledge of what’s out there to read, and the difficulty of each book and how you can stretch their reading and interests. The good news is that once you have a reward structure in place that works, you can replicate the process regularly.
9. Don’t be a snob
Something to watch out for: you may be concerned (and not without reason) about what your child is reading. You might have grand plans for them to read the great works of classical literature, and perhaps their choice of David Walliam’s latest Fart-ventures alarms you.
You know your child best, but what we’re looking for is an increased motivation to read. One element of this will be giving them autonomy (with some guidance) in their discovery and choice of books — after all, this is a skill that they will carry into adulthood. The rewards scheme can be utilised to motivate them to read books out of their comfort zone, but we would rather not make them feel like reading at home is just another assigned task like it is at school.
10. Listen to audiobooks
(Don’t be a snob, part 2):
Despite debate around the benefits and risks of promoting audio as a way of consuming stories, there is strong evidence to suggest that engagement with audiobooks can impact positively on reading skills and enjoyment.5
Audiobooks show children the beauty of a well-told story. Children will begin to associate stories with relaxation, joy, and experience everything that a book can offer in a less taxing manner than decoding the words and voices for themselves.
Audiobooks are also similar to the way that humans throughout history have experienced stories: through the oral storytelling tradition.
So rejoice in the availability of great stories that are available at all times to listen to with your children, for example in the car on long journeys, or perhaps while waiting in a long queue.
11. Model reading in the home
Out of all the ideas in this post, this may require the most investment and lifestyle change for you (unless you are already an active reader). But it also carries the most personal benefit.
If you are a parent who sits on your phone all day (maybe you’re reading a book, who knows) but you expect your child to read, they may view this as unfair. You are asking them to do something you have no interest in yourself. You are aware that a child who is an avid reader has an unfair advantage over their peers and want to encourage them for their own benefit… but kids can spot a hypocrite a mile away.
If they see you reading regularly to relax, they are more likely to follow suit, associating reading with downtime.
Not an active reader? Or phones/Netflix just making it difficult for you to sit still for any length of time? The following couple of tips might be good for the adults and the children in the house…
12. Try a lock box
My wife and I went on holiday earlier this year to a cabin in the middle of the countryside for a ‘digital detox’6. The cabin had a number of analog fun activities (Polaroid camera, board games, books, tape player, etc) along with a lovely wood burning fire. Additionally, there was a ‘lock box’ which contained a few items including an old ‘dumb’ phone, map, and a compass.
On arrival, you are encouraged to message anyone who you want to be able to contact you urgently with the dumb phone number. Then, your phones get switched off, in the box, and locked up. For three days.
I can honestly say it was the most refreshing short break I have had in a long time. It takes a while to adjust, but when you realise there is no option to pick up the phone, a part of your brain that is always aware of the phone starts to quiet down.
A simple version of this is a phone lock box — you just lock your phone away for a set time while you read. And if your kids don’t have a phone (good), maybe this is just something to motivate yourself to read more!
13. Book clubs
Again, this could be for the kids, or for the parents. Or both!
If you are a parent who struggles to find time or inclination to read, start your own book club. Host it in your home. Have wine and cheese. Make it fun!
Your children will see that reading stories brings people together socially, and is enjoyable. You will benefit from the low-level pressure to read a book regularly enough to not look ridiculous at your own book club. And you will become more attractive and interesting at parties by reading more (imho).
Win-win!
Help your kids to host a book club where they invite their friends and choose a book to read together and discuss. And then…
14. Journal their reading
Get a Polaroid camera, and take a shot of them with the book they are reading. Get a nice thick journal, stick the photo in it and share it around for them to write up their thoughts, or doodle, or whatever.
Your child can also journal on their own, of course! But introducing the social element adds a level of stickiness, as well as cultivating friendships based around reading and critiquing books, which is no small thing.
15. Coloured noise and music
The final idea is on the more experimental end of the spectrum.
Remember when everyone said you should listen to classical music when revising to help you learn? Well, there is growing research into the use of noise to help people study and focus7.
I use an app8 to play coloured noise (different noise frequencies have different colours associated with them, simply to categorise them) and music which helps me to focus on my work. It might seem whacky, but after a few minutes it all fades into the background, and my brain seems able to focus more directly on the subject at hand.
Additionally, I recently read a study from 20219 which showed improvement in reading efficiency and related reading skills for dyslexic children when they undertook a repeated reading study whilst listening to vocal music in their language at the same time as reading out loud.
Experimenting with music and coloured noise might just help unlock reading focus for some children.
Bonus: relegate the shiny things
It’s much easier to diet when there’s no ice cream in the freezer.
Whether we’re talking about adults or children, it’s more effective to have limits in place and allow the odd bonus, than to allow unfettered access and try to take something away.
If your children already watch YouTube for as long as they like, or have access to their own phone, then this might be a long old journey. But if you have the choice, setting boundaries and, critically, providing space for your child to be bored — truly b-o-r-e-d — will help them to move towards less obviously dopamine rewarding activities and choose healthier ones.
Such as reading a book.
Thanks for reading! I intend to do a deeper dive on some of these ideas over time, including researching these elements with real-life children and parents over the summer holidays — if you’re interested in being involved in our research, get in touch!
Have you had success with any of these ideas? Or do you have tips of your own? Please let us know in the comments.
For example: “Parental Involvement in the Development of Children’s Reading Skill: A Five-Year Longitudinal Study.” Child Development 73, no. 2 (2002): 445–60. Sénéchal, Monique, and Jo-Anne LeFevre. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3696368.
“Inequality in Reading and Math Skills Forms Mainly before Kindergarten: A Replication, and Partial Correction, of ‘Are Schools the Great Equalizer?’” Sociology of Education 91, no. 4 (2018): 323–57. Hippel, Paul T. von, Joseph Workman, and Douglas B. Downey. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48588643.
According to Bedtime Book for Bump (Mayo Clinic) — “From around week 25 forward, the sound of both parent’s voices is so soothing that it lowers the child’s heart beat,” and “Even within an hour of birth, newborns prefer the sound of their parents' voice to a stranger's voice and prefer to listen to a story that was read to them repeatedly while they were in the womb.”
This rule was developed by Matt Stone and Trey Parker for South Park. Whatever you think of the programme, they managed to make 300+ episodes that kept people watching.
“Audiobooks and literacy.” National Literacy Trust, Emily Best.
https://unplugged.rest/
https://www.bettersleep.com/blog/a-complete-guide-to-colored-noise-exploring-the-sound-spectrum-in-colors
https://endel.io/science
“Improving Reading Skills in Children with Dyslexia: Efficacy Studies on a Newly Proposed Remedial Intervention—Repeated Reading with Vocal Music Masking (RVM).” Annals of Dyslexia 71, no. 1 (2021): 60–83. Leloup, Gilles, Royce Anders, Valentin Charlet, Béatrice Eula-Fantozzi, Catherine Fossoud, and Eddy Cavalli. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48768700.
What a great article!