Encouraging Kids to Love Books

I absolutely love reading. I always have and I’m certain I always will. 

My reading often comes in seasons: seasons of bingeing books, trying new genres, reading to my kids, listening to audiobooks, and the seasons where I do a little bit of everything.

My son is eight and I can officially say he loves reading as much as I do. While I’m not sure that it’s possible, he likes to argue that he loves books even more than me.

I think there are MANY reasons why a child can love reading – from having a certain personality type to seeing it modelled. If my son was born in a non-reading family, perhaps he would still love reading. But I thought I would share what I believe (as a reader, a mom, and a former teacher) are some of the ways a child can be gently influenced into becoming a life-long reader.

Start reading to your children early. 

And by early, I mean, read to your baby!

This may seem obvious but I’ve heard people say that since a baby can’t understand the story, why read the book to them?
So. Many. Reasons.
For one, babies just love spending time with you! Reading is a great way to build a bond and connect over a shared activity. The lull of your voice helps your baby feel close to you but it also builds new vocabulary as they hear the repeated words. Letting your baby touch and hold and play with books early on, will make books a natural, foundational part of their life. 

Read to them as babies. 

Read to them as toddlers.

Read to them as they start preschool.

Continue to read to them even when they learn to read for themselves. 

Even be willing to read to them as preteens and teens! 

And if your child prefers to read a book themselves, sit beside them and read your own book while they read.

Use books and gifts as rewards.

For Christmas, I have a “book bag” for each child that gets filled with a mixture of used and new books that I’ve collected for them throughout the year. The kids enjoy this tradition and even though they know that the bags will be full of books they are still eager to find out which book treasures I found for them.

For birthdays, Easter or other holidays I make sure my kids get a few books. I also love to use books as my go-to gifts for family and friend birthday parties.

When we pop into a bookshop or thrift store, I have been intentionally “splurging” lately and letting my kids each pick out one new book. I want them to have positive memories of going to bookshops and I want them to delight in choosing a new book and getting to bring it home (plus, we’re supporting local bookshops!)

If my kids complete a goal they have been working towards or need a reward for accomplishing a challenging task, I often let them order a book or two as a prize. 

My son was getting into a pattern of just rereading a lot of the same lower level comic books he loves (which I am ultimately fine with but thought it couldn’t hurt to have some variety), so I made him a reading challenge. Each classic book he read was worth a certain number of “points.” If he got enough points he could purchase a book of his own choosing. 

In the end…. It’s a win-win. He’s just reading more!

Keep SO MANY books in your house.

Book clutter is the best clutter. 

Even though it sometimes overwhelms me, book clutter mainly just warms my heart.

Place books in baskets in your end tables, on coffee tables, in magazine racks, or on bookshelves of all shapes and sizes throughout your house. Make sure your kids have the extra special books they love in their own rooms, but also use a bookshelf as a family library where they can go to replenish their supply. 

I love using my most beloved books that I’m not currently reading as home decor, spreading them throughout my house. They bring me extra joy!

Keep books in your bathroom, books beside your bed, books in the playroom or by your kitchen table to read while you have breakfast. I have a little lending library that I don't have a home for yet (we live in the country so I don’t think it will work at the end of our driveway). But I am thinking it might make for a nice little book storage spot for books near the treehouse for my kids.

Keep books in your car for when you’re going on road trips or even just heading into town. Books come in handy if you end up having to wait for someone to finish up their lessons or if you arrive early for an event.

So the moral of that paragraph - put books everywhere so they are easy to access!

Where to find books?

Our favourite spot is the library. We get about 80 books a week from the library as a family. We are very grateful for this free spot to fulfill all our book needs. So far, we haven’t run out. Thank you Woodstock Public Library for your amazing selection!

To transport all of our library books we use a rolling bag and it’s been a game changer. I no longer have to awkwardly lug our books back to the family car. I can’t recommend this type of rolling bag enough for those of you who do big library trips.

Independent bookstores are great options if you are going to buy new books. When you purchase from an indie bookstore you support a local business as well as local authors. And if the store doesn't carry a book you want, they can often order it in for you. My personal favourite bookstore is Ingersoll’s Commonplace Books.

Thrift stores are another favourite place where I get books. Some of the bigger chains of thrift stores are charging a lot for books (although it is still often cheaper than new) but the smaller ones like Salvation Army only charge a dollar or two. I’ve been to some places that only charge 25 cents for a book!

Needless to say, my shelves are VERY well stocked as thrifting is a regular occurrence for me. I actually am not sure if I have ever left a thrift store without a book. At this time in my life my kiddos are not patient enough to let me browse the adult section. But they love giving me suggestions and making requests looking through the children’s shelves. 

Another way to get books: request them as birthday and holiday gifts for your kids, especially from that relative that has no idea what to get them.

And if your child is hesitant about receiving books as gifts (or it is a disappointment for them), perhaps one new book can just be part of the gift.

Add story time into the rhythms and routines of your day. 

There are many opportunities to read with your children during the day.

For many families, mine included, naptime and bedtime have always been when we’ve enjoyed reading aloud to our kids.

Story time can also be done first thing in the morning or after breakfast. One of you could read a story aloud when to your daughter when the other is doing her hair.

When you’ve made a fresh batch of cookies - enjoy them with a story.

When your kids get home from school and need to decompress - read them a story while they eat a snack.

While you’re waiting for dinner to finish cooking - read a story. 

After a meal - read a story.

Every family is different, but being intentional about setting up reading rhythms can help provide more reading opportunities for your kids.

Model your love of books to your children.

And lastly – for now – I think one of the most important ways you can influence your child to love reading is by showing them how much YOU love reading. 

Talk about your love of reading to them. Get excited about buying new books and show them off to your kids. 

Show (and read) your kids some of your favourite books when you were little and talk about what you’re reading as an adult right now.

Sit down as a family and silently read your books together. Bring books to the cottage, to the beach, to the pool. 

Have your kids catch you and your partner reading a book MORE OFTEN than they catch you looking at your phone (Very hard, I know. I don’t even know if I do this myself yet, but it is something I’d like to strive towards).

I hope this blog post has given you at least one idea on how to make books a more central part of your family’s home environment. 

Happy reading! <3