3 Ways To Instill A Passion Of Reading In Children

​If your child shows little interest in reading, take a look at why this might be. It is a challenging job for children, and it isn't a habit that could be easily formed from childhood. So, how can you instill a lasting love of reading to your children? You may try these three ways to inspire your child that may turn their reading into an exciting activity. 

1. The Early Bedtime Trick

One of my favourite techniques to get my kids to read is only two words: "Early Bedtime''. A tip to help your children sleep better is getting them spending more time reading. Spending meaningful time together at the end of the day and before going to bed - reading together. Set their reading from 30 minutes to an hour before the official bedtime. 

Reading aloud to children helps them bring the words to life. Discuss the story together, and ask questions like, "What do you expect to happen next?", "Why is it occurring?" You can change things up some nights by having your child read you a book! 

Lastly, give him a choice: "Well, it's bedtime right now. Would you like to switch off the light, or would you like to continue the story?" Unless he drops off to sleep, he'll always choose to read for a little longer. Then, I'll give him independence, he can decide which books he wants to read until I come in to kiss him goodnight.  

2. Summer Reading Incentives

There is pretty much any library in the country with a summer reading program that you can sign up for. If your local library doesn't have a summer reading program, you can create one at home with rewards for reading books. Allow your child to advance one square on a Monopoly board for each book that he reads. Or, if you want to have some more fun, let them roll the dice each time they read a book and have prizes available for passing specific points. Please make sure the rewards are something they're desirable.

​3. Read The Book Before You And Your Child See The Movie

This is a rule in our home. We won't see any movies until we've read the book that we had an agreement on. So, if your child is awaiting to see the following Chronicles of Narnia movie, the next Harry Potter or the next Lemony Snicket movie, they'll have to read the book first. It doesn't matter if my husband or I read the book to the kids or the kids themselves read alone, we can only see the movies until they have to read the book first. It's an excellent way to entice reluctant readers. 

That's it: three simple steps to turn your child into a passionate reader.