How to get your child to read more

Start with what they already enjoy

Choose books on subjects your child is already interested in rather than starting with what you think they should read. Fiction and non-fiction both count, and once reading feels enjoyable, branching out into new genres comes much more easily.

Let your child pick their own books at a library or bookshop, even when it’s not what you’d have chosen; choosing for themselves makes them far more likely to stick with the book. Make the trip itself feel worthwhile; if the bookshop visit is a treat, the book is more likely to get read.

Make reading something you do together

Reading with your child, taking it in turns or reading aloud while they follow along, keeps them engaged if they struggle to read alone. Talking about the book afterwards, asking about a character or what they think happens next, builds comprehension without feeling like a test.

A comfortable, distraction-free reading spot at home helps too, especially if your child has a say in how it’s set up. Choosing what goes in it and how it’s decorated can be as much a part of building the habit as the reading itself.

If your child is a reluctant reader

Short, low-pressure sessions get further than pushing for a whole chapter. Audiobooks alongside the physical text, graphic novels and comics all count as reading, and rereading an old favourite is fine if it keeps your child engaged.

A progress chart with small rewards can help, as long as it celebrates effort rather than page counts. Set a small, achievable goal, a chapter rather than a whole book, so your child gets a real sense of progress instead of one big target that feels out of reach.

Top tips

A short session most days builds the habit faster than one long session at the weekend.

• Let your child choose their own books, even if you’d have picked differently.
• Share the reading a few times a week as well as leaving them to read alone.
• Talk about what they’ve read afterwards, rather than just checking they’ve done it.
• Keep sessions short for reluctant readers rather than aiming for a full chapter.
• Audiobooks and graphic novels count as reading.
• Visit the library or a bookshop regularly and make the trip itself feel special.

How to prepare

Reading pays off fastest when it sits alongside structured practice, so use it to reinforce what your child is meeting in papers rather than as a separate task. Our Children’s Classics workbooks combine chapter-by-chapter reading with comprehension and creative writing exercises, and our spelling and vocabulary series gives you a way to test what your child is picking up from their reading.

Reading grows with daily time. Twenty minutes with a book most days, alongside any practice papers, does more for comprehension than most things you can arrange.