I had involved Ami in the library as soon as she was able to hold a book.   As a child, I remember looking forward to the frequent visits I made  with my siblings and our father  to the library.

However, there are some people who don’t encourage their children to read and wonder why they are not interested in reading. It’s usually, “Oh the schools will take care of their education.” Not so. Schools can only do so much, but parents have their own part to play. If  mom and dad read and write at home, the child  will want to do the same.  However, if a child doesn’t outwardly read at home, it’s not really because ’reading is boring,’ it’s more of a case of:  lack of exposure to the art itself. 

With older children,  encouraging them to read can pose a problem, because they can become set in their ways, perhaps  preferring to watch television, or play with the latest electronic toys.

 So, here are some tips to encourage them to read.

Encouraging Older children to Read

• Buy gift certificates or vouchers from bookshops only. 
• Leave reading material in all rooms around the home. 
• Collect interesting articles and paste them into a scrap book for them to read.
• Buy books that relate to their current lifestyle and situation. For example starting college, moving to a new neighbourhood, making friends and so on.
•  Play audio  books in the car. (Useful for long journeys!).
• Visits to the library with the family and assist with book choosing.
• Read what they read, so that you can discuss or review the book together.
• Encourage them to Start a book club with their friends.
• Introduce them to websites such as StoneSoup and TeenVoices, online magazines by young people.