How to Encourage Reading Habits in Kids

Reading is an essential skill for children that supports their overall development. The impact of reading on children is vast, from cognitive development, developing empathy, and literacy skills, to improved concentration, creativity, and imagination.

However, getting kids to start reading is often challenging. And making reading a habit is even more. Parents face many problems in promoting reading habits in kids, such as lack of a child’s interest, home environment, unavailability of time, etc. Parents need to find the reason and solve the problem by making reading more interesting for kids.

Ways to Develop Reading Habits in Kids

Here are some effective ways to help parents develop a love for reading in their kids. 

Read with Kids from an Early Age

To develop a passion for reading, the importance of reading should get realized at an early stage. Start reading bedtime stories or short stories for your kids from an early age to foster a love for reading. Invest in board books, cloth books, etc., and read them aloud in your free time and set it as routine. It will help develop a love for new words and encourage reading habits in children. 

Create a Reading Space or Zone

Create a reading zone in your house to give the kids comfort for reading. To make reading comfortable, you can develop a cozy corner with various books, fun accessories, a bean bag chair, sufficient light, etc. A library at home connects children with reading, and children that grow up with reading material around them learn to love reading earlier. 

Connect Books to Real Life

Showing examples of successful people with good reading habits and developing a connection with books increases the child’s interest in reading. It is a critical strategy that helps them make meaning of what they are reading and fully comprehend the text. Effective text-to-world connections help make deep, complex, and insightful connections to the reading text and apply them in the real world.

Visit Library and Let them Select their Favorite Book

The library is a great resource for books where kids can explore the vast range of books of different genres and authors. Few libraries also have story hours and interesting literacy programs for kids. Give your child a library tour and encourage them to select books of their choice or favorite authors. It helps boost their interest in reading and even develop a sense of independence.

Make Reading Interesting by Setting Challenges and Rewards

Kids develop a habit if they like the activity. Therefore, we need to figure out what makes reading fun for them in developing reading as a habit. The more enjoyable reading appears to them, the more they will read. You can set challenges and rewards to make reading more fun. For example, set a reading goal and reward them with anything, like a favorite movie, snacks, toys, or an outdoor trip. 

Use Creative Reading Apps

Children these days are tech and gadget savvy. Bringing technology into reading methods can enhance their reading skills and have a positive outcome. Creative reading apps like The Story Cabinet (TSC) make the reading process fun for children and adapt to specific reading needs. E-readers can adjust the length of each sentence and support kids in reading. These apps boost the confidence level of kids and improve their reading skills.

Learn Your Child’s Reading Pattern

Parents are always their child’s first teachers. So, understand your kid’s reading pattern and know what reading skills to expect at different ages. By taking time to understand their reading skills, you can support them in overcoming their reading roadblocks. 

TSC-An e-Reading Platform for Kids that Inspires them to Love Reading

The Story Cabinet is a phone-based reading platform that provides stories and human experiences of different genres for all age groups. TSC has a specialized kids’ section containing stories and reading materials like fiction, cartoons, fairy tales, bedtime stories, and many more to keep them engaged and inculcate a love for reading. Users can personalize their digital library to add books and reading material of choice and pursue reading hassle-free.