How To Get Kids To Want To Read More Books

  

I saw a sobering statistic recently. There was a federal survey about children who read for pleasure. It shows that some 30% of 13-year-olds “never or hardly ever” read for fun. Thirty-five years ago, only 8% said that.  

We can guess at the reasons, such as: 

• Kids have increased their screen time from streaming television to making or consuming TikTok videos to video games. 
• Children’s time is more scheduled, from sports and dance to therapy sessions and custody visits. 
• A lack of adult role models
• Schools make it forced and mandatory to read vs fun and exploratory 

However, it’s not because:

• There’s nothing good to read or books don’t have identifiable characters 
• They can’t afford, or are unable to access, books free online and at libraries 
• Schools are overwhelming with school work (kids aren’t challenged enough)
• They are in-person peer socializing too much (we wished they socialized more)

Sure, there are real reasons why people gravitate towards books and why some just don’t pursue them, but we have to change this shift away from failing to see reading as fun, rewarding, and useful. It’s a lifetime habit to read, one that starts very, very young.  

I think – and I have data to back this up - that when kids start to read is when a lifetime decision gets made. When a child is read to at a very young age, and often, that gets the right message out there. Then, when a parent encourages a child to become the reader, it’s important that it doesn’t turn into a chore or a battle, that frustrations and fears get hidden or downplayed and that the joy of discovering words is emphasized and rewarded the way a parent gets excited when little Joe scores a goal at soccer or when Mia performs well at a dance competition.  

Next, teachers need to let kids discover books in a way that doesn’t grade them or demand anything. Just put books in front of kids, nurture the process, and be available to discuss the book afterwards. Somehow, when reading becomes homework that is expected and scored, we lose our kids. Of course, we need grades and homework, but kids can be sensitive about reading and first need to become readers before anything else.  

We must be super vigilant to express that reading is not a chore or an obligation, but rather an amazing skill that opens the world to us - to learn, explore, and imagine. The minute it sounds like we demand or expect a specific book to be read by a deadline and then dissected in a formulaic way that gets graded, we turn off a potential reader and lose a young mind.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.