5 Ways to Get Kids Excited About Reading

My 12-year-old daughter was less than thrilled when it came to reading anything other than Justin Beiber magazines.  Her peers raved about Harry Potter and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.  My daughter preferred to watch the movies.  Arg!!!  I tried several strategies in my quest to pass on our family’s traditional love of reading.  These are the Top 5 ways I have learned (through trial and error) to help her get excited about reading.

1.  Make reading a family activity.   Set aside half an hour every day (less for younger kids) to spend reading together.  Lay on the bed or on the couch together and read for 30 minutes. 

2.  Subscribe to a magazine in their name on a topic they are interested in.  Kids get excited when they get something in the mail.  My daughter is interested in animals, and we watch a lot of NatGeo together.  So I ordered her NatGeo for Kids and have it mailed in her name.  She LOVES it.

3.  Get their favorite show in paperback.  Most TV shows that kids are watching these days are also available in paperback.  iCarly, Hannah Montanna and Glee are favorites around our house.  Glee has a whole series of original novels that are great.  The latest one is Glee:  Foreign Exchange.  She read it in two days. 

4.  Get them a library card.  Age restrictions vary at each library.  But as soon as they are old enough to get a card in their name, do it.  It makes them feel more grown up and teaches them responsibility.  I no longer have to drag her to the library with me.  She’s asking when we can go so she can use her card.

5.  Take them to the bookstore.  Spend the afternoon at your local bookstore.  Get a Chai Latte (or your drink of choice) and check out what’s new.  They’ll be suprised at what they find.  My daughter often brings me books and says, “I didn’t know they had books on this.”  It’s a fun adventure for us both.