--- description: Find out how you can encourage your children to read. title: How to Get Your Kids to Read image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt610ea4a05156b0e0/6988d6828fd2eec34b35810e/kids-reading.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How to Get Your Kids to Read by [Jane Borden / Real Simple](/author/real-simple/) ## Jane Borden / Real Simple Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 20, 2017 4:02 PM CUT  Two sisters reading books on the floor in bedroom, at sunset Two sisters reading books on the floor in bedroom, at sunsetKlaus Vedfelt—Getty Images by [Jane Borden / Real Simple](/author/real-simple/) ## Jane Borden / Real Simple Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 20, 2017 4:02 PM CUT At some point, most kids will have to go solo. Encourage a reluctant reader to knock out those required pages with these tips. ### Schedule It “My kids don’t always want to go to the grocery store with me, but they know it happens every week,” says Kari Riedel, founder of the website [Bookopolis](https://www.bookopolis.com/ "undefined"). “We set aside time for soccer practice. Why not to read?” ### Don’t Compete With Electronics You’ll never win. Incorporate them instead. Try apps such as [Epic!](https://www.getepic.com/ "undefined"), [Reading Rainbow Skybrary Family](https://www.readingrainbow.com/skybrary-family "undefined"), and [Newsomatic](https://www.newsomatic.org/ "undefined"). Download books onto your phone so the kids find them there, too. ### Advocate for Options An article in [_School Library Journal_](http://www.slj.com/ "undefined") noted that teachers estimated a 30 percent jump in reading when children chose books themselves. “Talk to teachers. Advocate for summer reading lists that are broad, allow choice, and include modern books,” says Jen Robinson, a blogger at [growingbookworms.com](http://www.growingbookworms.com/ "undefined"). For younger kids who have to complete reading logs, ask teachers to allow alternative journaling, such as illustrating a new cover, writing a letter to the author, or creating a map of a book’s setting, says Kiera Parrott, reviews director at _School Library Journal_. ### Be a Negotiator Riedel used this tactic on her middle schooler: “I tell him, ‘You want me to drive you to baseball three times a week. I want you to read for 20 minutes a day.’ It’s quid pro quo—and a little bit of guilt—but it sometimes works.” ### Know When to Quit “Sometimes it’s OK to skip hard parts. And sometimes it’s OK to abandon a book,” says Pam Allyn, founder of [LitWorld](http://www.litworld.org/ "undefined") and author of [_What to Read When_](https://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/QqMeTVoGbZzq08dIwz9JNjIAAAFdYLIXggEAAAFKAcLn6SQ/https://www.amazon.com/What-Read-When-Stories-Child/dp/1583333347/ref=as%5Fat?creativeASIN=1583333347&linkCode=w50&tag=REASIM03-20&imprToken=eQtbGScL4QDaKuehqEAldw&slotNum=0 "undefined"). “If it’s a mandatory book, say to your kid, ‘You read a page, and then I’ll read a page.’ Be an ally. He won’t remember that hard book. What he’ll remember is you advocating for him to be a reader.” ### It’s Totally Fine to Get the Audiobook When all else fails, Riedel suggests letting your kid listen to the first chapters, to hook her, and then transitioning to the text. Or swap chapter by chapter. Says Allyn, “I’m a big advocate for reading aloud, whether it’s you or the audio version.” _This_ [_article_](https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/family/kids-parenting/how-to-keep-kids-reading "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://realsimple.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4866659/children-reading-tips/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4866659/children-reading-tips/"},"headline":"How to Get Your Kids to Read","datePublished":"2017-07-20T16:02:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:05:48.526Z","description":"When they'd rather do anything else","url":"https://time.com/4866659/children-reading-tips/","keywords":["motto","Parenting","Children","reading"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt610ea4a05156b0e0/6988d6828fd2eec34b35810e/kids-reading.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jane Borden / Real Simple"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt610ea4a05156b0e0/6988d6828fd2eec34b35810e/kids-reading.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Two sisters reading books on the floor in bedroom","caption":"Two sisters reading books on the floor in bedroom","creditText":"Klaus Vedfelt—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4866659/children-reading-tips/","name":"How to Get Your Kids to Read"}}]}] ```