19 Little Tricks Guaranteed To Get Your Kids To Read

"I tell them that they can stay up half an hour later if they read for half an hour. It works like a charm." —austind4c8b08715

"We read together on the weekends but it's hard to fit even one more thing in during the week. I give my son the choice to go bed at 8 if he chooses not to read and at 8:30 if he chooses to dive into a book." —theroboticdoomavenger

"I teach first grade and to keep my kids engaged in silent reading, I went and got a bunch of 'book buddies.' They're just stuffed animals from all their favorite movies, TV shows and books, but when I tell them to read to the book buddy and suddenly they all love reading!" —amywalls11

"If there is a movie or a TV show that is out and they are interested in, they have to read the book first. Once they get to watch it, we have a conversation about which is better. They are starting to realize the book is always better!" —ellens44c07b3cd

"If a movie was coming out based on a book, we read the book (I still do that). They are now 35 and both voracious readers." —jerrim4377fdac6

"My dad read all of the Harry Potter books to me, even the ones that were published well after I could read. He would try to read the characters in different voices. Luna Lovegood ended up having a Southern accent because he ran out of accents. That experience opened my mind to all the possibilities books could possess. I've loved reading ever since." —katyd4ea4f75a8

"Lead by example, read to them starting young, reward with books, and encourage use of their imagination." —cbentley0814

"I have always read to my daughter since she was very small. We made it a point to visit bookstores often and rewarded her with new books rather than new toys. We began taking turns reading stories to each other and always talked about the book after to see if she was not only reading, but comprehending what was happening in the story. She is 11 now, reads at a high school level, is very articulate and still very passionate about books!" —shay143

"When I was growing up, my mom limited our TV/computer time to one movie/day on the weekends and 20 minutes of computer time a day. That played a huge role in fostering not only a love for reading, but a sense of creativity and imagination for me and my siblings." —kathleenv4b9a998ec

"I disconnected the cable and internet at home. When they would tell me they were bored I'd reply: READ! Instead of watching TV we'd have reading time, all of us quietly together in the living room each reading their own book. Did it for year and a half, they got the cable / internet back but also developed a love for reading. Nowadays as young adults they're always reading a book...being a bookworm myself, they couldn't make me more proud!" —inarafiredragon2

"My mom would read one chapter of the Harry Potter books aloud to me at night. And when the new books would come out she would take me to the Borders release parties. I know Borders no longer exists but Barnes & Noble does similar things occasionally." —zubylee1

"I have taken my 5 year old to the library since she was two months old. I would just grab books that looked interesting to me. Now she picks books out." —rachelsporyh

"My mom always made us buy/get from the library one book for the summer that we had to read. We'd fall in love with that book, and read similar books or books by the same author. Eventually, I started reading on my own all year round." —andyg40ade681e

"My parents read to me every night, and we listened to audiobooks in the car. I am now 27, work in a bookstore and am about to start a masters program in Library Sciences. I would say it worked." —katiev89

"It's really important to let your kids choose what they want to read. Whether it be comics, picture books, Harry Potter, etc. Let your kids have free range in the library. Be very patient when teaching them to read. Praise goes farther than punishment. But I really cannot stress enough to just let kids read whatever they want. If they only read books about cats, don't push them! Find cat books! Make reading enjoyable for them." —ariannavanb

"Read to your children EVERY night. Even if you have to go short some nights. Even when they get older!" —Tracey P., Facebook

"I read to them every night when they were small. I let them read along with me so they could learn the words and sounds. They are older now and I still have them read before bed." —Cathy B., Facebook

"Read with them, early and often. Make all the funny voices. Hold their hand and have them touch each word as you read, so they start learning there's a relationship between what's on the page and what's coming out of your mouth. As time goes on they start to associate reading with happy close memories with you. And you get to have happy close memories with them. Win-win." —rhamonaq

"We always participate in our local library's summer reading program, which includes prizes for reaching reading goals. If you have a Barnes & Noble, they also have children's events and summer reading programs." —Samantha H., Facebook

"Another thing my parents did right: they owned books. That's tremendously important in spurring a child's interest in reading, because they're not going to develop the idea that books are out there and they're for reading unless they see that modeled for them at home. And, of course, I could pick out books from my parents' private library and didn't have to go anywhere to have a constant access to fresh reading material." —Kevin G., Facebook

"My mom always had books in the house. Library books and a small bookcase for me in my room. She read her own books in the evening so I grew up watching and doing. She read to me before bed for years, even when I could read myself. There were just always books in the house." —anoukvanderz

"To encourage self-reading I told them I would buy all the books they could read, but they had to read the book and then discuss it with me." —jerrim4377fdac6

"I'm not a parent but my dad used to make bets with me and if I lost them I would have to give a book at least a chance. That's how I got into Harry Potter actually, because I lost a bet to my dad, haha." —vxny

"My dad got me to read by sitting with me and we would read every other page to each other. My favorite was Charlotte's Web." —autumnu48fa70e77

"My mom read to me from the day I was born. She would prop me up in the corner of the couch and read to me every single day. I could read at 3, skipped pre-K, and I have been an avid reader my entire life. So start from day one!" —kelseyj46fa74d91

"My parents read to me all the time. It helped that my mom and sister both loved reading, because it set an example for me." —ariannavanb

"Kids are smart. Parents' actions teach them more than you'd think. If they never see you reading, or if they see you viewing reading as a chore, they're not going to want to do it, either. Let kids see that reading is fun and enjoyable, because it is!" —Samantha H., Facebook