Ask most parents what they want for their children and “a love of reading” tends to come up early. It sits alongside kindness and confidence as one of those quiet, lifelong gifts. The tricky part is that reading cannot be forced. A child who is nagged into a book will close it the moment the pressure lifts. A child who genuinely enjoys reading, on the other hand, keeps going long after anyone is watching.
The good news is that enjoyment can be nurtured, patiently and without gimmicks. It starts less with the books themselves and more with the atmosphere around them.
Children copy what they see. If reading only ever happens as a chore before bed, that is how it registers. If a child regularly sees the adults around them reading for pleasure, whether that is a novel, a recipe, or the weekend paper, the message lands differently. Reading becomes an ordinary, grown-up thing worth growing into. Leaving books within easy reach, and letting children catch you enjoying one, does more than any reading chart on the fridge.
Let them choose, even when the choice is odd
One of the quickest ways to dampen a child’s interest is to police what counts as “proper” reading. Comics, joke books, football annuals and the same picture book for the ninth night running all build the same skills and, crucially, the same habit. A reader who is allowed to follow their own curiosity reads more, and a child who reads more becomes a stronger reader almost by accident.
This is where a good school helps enormously. Settings that treat reading as a pleasure rather than a test tend to keep children reading for longer. Schools that value curiosity, such as an independent school in London that encourages children to explore books widely, understand that a broad, well-stocked library and unhurried time to browse it matter just as much as phonics and comprehension exercises.
Read together for longer than you think you should
There is a common assumption that once a child can read alone, shared reading has done its job. In practice, reading aloud to an older child is one of the most underrated things a parent can do. It lets you tackle stories that are a little beyond their reading level but well within their imagination, which keeps the ambition alive. It also turns reading into time spent together rather than time spent apart.
Talk about the story as you go. Wonder aloud about what a character might do next, or whether they made the right decision. These small conversations teach children that a book is something to think about, not simply to finish. Enjoyment grows in that thinking space.
Protect the conditions, not just the outcome
It helps to remember that reading competes with a great deal. Screens are engineered to be effortless, and a book asks for more. Rather than banning everything, it works better to carve out calm, screen-free pockets where a book is the natural thing to reach for. A quiet half hour before bed, a rainy Sunday afternoon, a long car journey with a story to listen to. The aim is not to win a battle against technology but to make sure reading gets a fair chance to be enjoyed on its own terms.
Above all, keep the stakes low. A child who feels tested every time they open a book will approach reading warily. A child who associates it with comfort, choice and good company will return to it willingly, and that willingness is the whole point.
Raising a reader is really about patience. Keep the books coming, keep the pressure off, and let enjoyment do the slow work it does best. For more on how schools build that love of reading from the early years upwards, visit https://sthelens.london.
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*This article was contributed by the team at St Helens London, an independent day school for girls that places curiosity, wellbeing and a lifelong love of learning at the heart of its approach. St Helens London works closely with families to support children’s reading, confidence and academic growth from the early years through to senior school.*
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