Help Yourself or Your Child Learn To LOVE Reading With These Tips!
Reading provides a host of benefits for us. It engages several cognitive processes to integrate written information and language comprehension. It activates various parts of the brain, including the frontal lobe (attention, reasoning, language comprehension), temporal lobes (memory), parietal lobes (language processing), occipital lobes (visual processing), and cerebellum (motor control related to visual processing).
Reading also strengthens communication skills, improves vocabulary, reasoning, concentration, and critical thinking skills, and promotes empathy and emotional intelligence. Some experts even think reading could help you live longer!
Despite the abundant benefits of reading, many adults and children struggle to create a long-lasting habit and enjoyment of reading. If you would like to build a more regular reading habit for yourself or your child, the following tips can help you learn to love reading.
1. Make Time for Reading
The first step to starting any new habit is to make time for it. The first thing to do to start a regular reading habit is to find consistent time to read. This could be daily or weekly, and it doesn’t need to be hours at a time. Even reading in 10 minute intervals can help you get on the path to a love of reading.
Think you don’t have time? Start here:
- Use some of the time you’d normally spend scrolling on your smartphone or watching TV
- Bring a book to work and read for a few minutes on your lunch break
- Read a few pages every night before bed or first thing in the morning
The more you’re able to commit to a creating habit of reading, the more likely reading will become a hobby you’ll enjoy for years to come.
2. Follow Your Interests
We tend to think we “should” read certain books. But it’s much easier to form a habit of reading if you choose books you actually want to read. Ultimately, all reading is good reading — especially when you’re trying to find true enjoyment in reading.
Kids are naturally better at this than adults. They’re more likely to grab books they think look fun or interesting to them (and say “no thank you” to ones that don’t). So take a note from your kids here and choose books that relate to your interests.
If you’re not sure where to start, think about the things you like to watch on TV, subjects you enjoyed in school, or topics you enjoy having conversations about. If you really like watching true crime shows on TV, for example, you might enjoy mystery or true crime books. Or if you’re a sports aficionado, look for biographies of your favorite players.
Whether you choose fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, or comic books, anything that encourages you to dig into reading will spur a more enjoyment of reading.
3. Drop the Pressure
If you’re motivated by setting goals and checking things off of lists, feel free to keep track of the books you’ve read. But if that sort of thing sucks all the fun out of leisure activities for you, there’s no need to track what you’re reading.
Remember that the end goal here is not to read “x” number of books, but to grow your love of reading. So drop the pressure, and don’t force yourself to:
- Read a certain number of books per month or year
- Read a certain number of hours per day or week
- Finish books you aren’t enjoying (you won’t love every book, and that’s ok!)
- Read books you think you “should” read
Instead, choose books you enjoy and take your time reading them.
4. Keep a Reading Journal
If keeping track of what you’ve read is something you do want to do, try keeping a reading journal of the books you’ve read. A reading journal can be a fun and creative way to document your reading journey and engage with books more deeply. Grab a notebook and write down your thoughts about the book, inspiring quotes from it, and even sketches or doodles inspired by the story.
5. Always Keep Reading Material on Hand
Another way to encourage a love of reading in yourself or your children is to surround yourself with reading material. Keep books, magazines, newspapers, or other reading material on hand at home. Take books with you on vacation. Grab a book on your way out the door each day so you have something to read on your lunch break at work, on the bus, in the doctor’s office waiting room, and so on.
Or consider getting an e-reader like a Kindle (or using the Kindle or Libby apps on your phone) so you can easily take books with you wherever you go.
6. Make Reading a Family Affair
Making reading a family habit can be as simple as modeling good reading habits. If your kids see you taking time to read, they’ll be more likely to want to read themselves.
Another way to encourage your kids to read is to make it a point to read together before bed each night. This will give you quality time together while helping your children dig into books. Take turns reading out loud to one another and prompt your children to talk about the story—what they liked, what they didn’t like, what they think will happen next, etc.
Or take family outings to your local library! Get everyone in the family set up with library cards and visit the library together to pick out books. While you’re there, look for free events like book clubs, reading programs, and other events for kids and parents alike.
Parents, you can even factor reading into date night! Browse a bookstore and grab coffee; attend a book reading, or read a book together and discuss it over dinner.
7. Join a Book Club
While reading is certainly a hobby you can enjoy on your own, it can also be fun to gather with others to discuss what you’re reading.
Joining a book club—whether with friends, at the library, or online—will give you someone to talk to about what you’re reading and serve as positive motivation to read. Plus, spending time with others who get excited about reading can rub off on you and increase your own enjoyment of reading.
Note that adults aren’t the only ones who can benefit from book clubs! Look for kids’ book clubs in your area as well, such as at your kids’ school or your local library or community center.
8. Have a Hard Time Sitting Still? Try Audiobooks
If your biggest struggle with reading is that you don’t like sitting for long periods of time, consider listening to audiobooks.
While the jury is out on whether audiobooks produce the same level of reading comprehension as traditional reading does, they’re still a great way to jump-start a love of books and reading. Try listening to an audiobook during pockets of time when you’re doing other things, like going for a walk, driving to work, or doing the dishes. Before you know it, you just might find yourself hooked on books!
Bonus Tip: LearningRx Raleigh Can Help You Learn To Love Reading at Any Age
Brain training with LearningRx Raleigh can help you or your child improve reading and comprehension skills so you can learn to love reading. By training the cognitive skills related to reading and reading comprehension, you can find greater ease and enjoyment in reading.
Our ReadRx and ComprehendRx programs have helped readers of all ages develop basic reading skills, improve reading comprehension and advanced reading skills, and learn to read more deeply and confidently.
Contact us today to learn more and determine if brain training is the right fit for you or your child.
