There are lots of ways to get even the most reluctant readers in your family hooked on books. Try these fun family activities to encourage your kids to enjoy reading.
Start a library habit. A weekly trip to the library is fun, free and educational. Many libraries have story times, author visits, workshops and all sorts of formal and informal activities to get kids interested in reading.
Find a great book store. If you can't afford new books look for second hand or discount book stores, or enjoy a good rummage through a book stall at a flea market or yard sale. Give your kids a set amount of money to spend beforehand and encourage them to really browse through the books and weigh up the options to make a decision on which one(s) they want.
Make books accessible. When you get those books home from the library or book store make sure they are on a low shelf, or scattered through the house on coffee table or in baskets. Kids are much more likely to pick up a book they can reach and start reading, than ask you to get one out/down from a shelf.
Provide books about their favourite subjects. Every child has a passion. Whether it's dinosaurs, space travel, fashion or farm animals. Find books (fiction and non-fiction) about the things they love.
Use their favourite movies to kick-start a reading habit. Many parents think movies and TV shows are inherently bad for our kids and probably the antithesis of reading, but in fact good movies are just stories told in a different way. If your kid loves a particular movie, buy him the book of the movie, or the book it was based on. You can find book tie-ins to most kids' TV shows too.
Read up about places you are going, or would like to go. A family trip, whether it's a day trip, a weekend camping, or a longer vacation can be a great excuse to read up on the area you're going to, either in a guide book or by reading fiction books set in that area. If you have a collective dream as a family about a place you'd like to visit, maybe connected to your own roots or family history, this can also be really interesting for kids to read about.
Use games as a way to improve reading. Card games where you have to read information on the cards, such as Top Trumps, board games where you have to read instructions on the board, or more obvious word games like boggle and scrabble can all help improve and practice reading skills.
If your kids enjoy "doing" rather than reading, look for activity books or printable activity sheets from the internet. The kids still get their reading practice, reading the instructions, and then they get to "do" a fun activity.
Read together as a family. Find books that work on different levels that can be enjoyed by children of different ages, and adults as well. Take turns reading passages or take on the roles of different characters and turn the book into a little family play.
Invest in audio books. Unabridged versions are best Once a child has heard a story read aloud a few times they will find it easier to read to themselves as the words and storyline are already familiar. The same applies to books you have read aloud to them several times.
Set an example. The more they see adult role models reading the more children will see reading as a fun, worthwhile and "grown-up" activity, that clearly has value in itself, otherwise why would the adults be doing it?
Don't rule out comic books. Kids love them. Some can even be somewhat educational, but even if your kids are addicted to comic book superheroes who seem to exchange very little dialogue and rely heavily on action portrayed through pictures, don't underestimate the value of them reading what text there is and learning to get involved in the story telling process.
Find books you enjoy reading with your kids, so story time is a joy not a chore.