How to get your child to read more
Updated
Children read more when reading feels like their choice, not a chore. Let them pick what to read, keep sessions short and regular, make sure the books aren’t too hard, and read together when you can. Pressure rarely helps; routine and enjoyment do.
None of this needs special books or apps. Here is how each part works in practice.
Let them choose what to read
Comics, joke books, fact books about sharks, the same favorite story for the tenth time - it all counts. Children care more about books they picked themselves. Offer a few options rather than one “right” book, and visit the library or a bookshop together so they can browse.
Keep sessions short and regular
A little every day is easier to keep up than a long session once a week. Tie reading to something that already happens: after school, after dinner, or before lights out. A short, predictable slot is easy to start, and easy to stretch when the story is good.
Find books at the right level
If a book has too many words your child can’t read, reading turns into hard work. Aim for books they can mostly read on their own, and keep harder ones for reading together. When they get stuck on a word, help quickly and move on, so the story doesn’t stall.
A quick check: if your child stumbles on several words on a single page, that book may be better read aloud together for now.
Read together, even after they can read alone
Reading aloud, taking turns page by page, or simply talking about the story keeps reading something you share. Ask what they think will happen next, or which character they would be. Many children enjoy being read to long after they can read by themselves.
Take the pressure off
- Don’t turn every book into a test: questions can wait.
- Praise the effort and the time spent, not just speed or reading level.
- Let them put down a book they don’t like and pick another.
- Let them see you reading too.
Make reading easy to reach
Keep books where children spend time: by the bed, in the living room, in the car. Fewer distractions help too. Reading is a hard sell when a game is one tap away, so it helps to decide which comes first.
How Emetli helps
In Emetli’s Books tab, reading is the way to play: every minute of reading adds a minute of play time for the apps you have locked with Apple’s Screen Time.
- Classic children’s books, each with its own painted cover, picked for your child’s age.
- A calm reader with big, easy-to-read text, and no timers on the page.
- Hold a hard word and Emetli explains it, so the story keeps going.
- You can set a daily reading minimum, from 5 to 120 minutes.
- Saved play time only runs down while a locked app is in use.
