How I Jedi Mind Trick My Kids To Read

As an avid reader who loves to get lost in the imaginative world of a good book, I strive to raise children who also love the written word. In an era where iPhones, video games, and electronic devices can easily draw, and keep, the attention of my children for more hours than I care to admit, getting my children excited about starting a new book instead of creating a new Minecraft world can be a challenge.

Reading

Over the course of the school year, each of my children has a required thirty minutes of reading every day. This is easily enforced as it fits into the homework bucket. What’s more challenging is encouraging them to actually read over the summer when teachers are no longer making it mandatory for a grade.

I wish both of my children were always wandering around with the next book in their hand or begging me to take them to the bookstore every weekend, but they are not. They do go through spells based on current interest or the interests of their friends, but I’ve had to learn a few tricks over the years to encourage this behavior on a more regular basis. The older and more independent my kids have become, the craftier I’ve had to be in my you love to read books Jedi mind tricks.

Below are a few of those tricks I’ve used along the way as well as some book suggestions for getting your kids excited to read this summer.

Note: I use the recommended age groups when selecting books, but I would highly encourage you to do your own research and determine what level books are appropriate for your kids.

Give Them What They Want

Every book report and school project my son has completed over the last 2 years has been somehow related to baseball.  Why? Because getting him to read a book about gardening would result in eye rolling and procrastination from him and torture for me. If you want your kids to discover the joy of reading, start with books about the things they love.

If your kid is a lover of sports like my son, check out Jackie and Me (The Baseball Card Adventure Series) or the Football Genius Series.

For younger kids with a love for art, try The Day the Crayons Quit. This is a great gift for new readers or a Back to School gift as summer comes to an end.

One time my son picked a book solely on the fact that there was a superhero on the cover in his underpants… I’m not complaining. Reading is reading, right?

Get Them Hooked on a Series

Freestanding books are great, but if you can get your child interested in a series of books, they’ll be the ones asking you take them to the store when the next book comes out.

The first series my kids became obsessed with were the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. As a mother of two kids who are close in age, it was nice to have a set of books they both enjoyed. They shared (most of the time) and even talked about their favorite parts from each book.

Popular Adult Fiction Authors have begun writing their own children’s series, which is a great way to expose your kids to some of the authors you enjoy reading as an adult. John Grisham writes the Theodore Boone: Kids Lawyer Series and James Patterson writes a few series for the Middle School age such as I-Funny.

Finally, for the budding adventurer, try the Stranded series by Jeff Probst from the TV show, Survivor.

When All Else Fails, Entice Them With a Movie

I’m not above encouraging my children to read a book just because the movie is coming out. Sometimes, even I decide to read a book for just that reason. This category is particularly sneaky because you can slip in a few classics before they know what hit them. My favorites are The Chronicles of Narnia and of course, anything by Dr. Seuss.

There are too many options, new and old, that could be listed here, so I suggest making it a summer game. If your kids are old enough, ask them to research and come back with a list of books they would like to read that have been made into movies. Once they finish the book, celebrate with a movie afternoon or evening at home.

At the end of the day, getting kids to read is all about making it fun! Set up a reading challenge amongst siblings or even with friends and plan regular get together’s and fun activities to keep the reading momentum going. If you’re looking for a little inspiration, visit the local library. They have summer reading programs and activities to keep kids of all ages interested and excited about reading in between their trips to pool these next few months.

Christie Pettus
Christie Pettus is a full time working wife and mother living her suburban cul de sac dream in Orange Park, Fl. She is Mom to two awesome teenagers, McKenzie and Ethan, who have come to accept that certain parts of their lives will be blogged about, so they should act accordingly. As graduates of the University of Florida, she and her husband Ryan can be found rooting on their alma mater every chance they get including the more obscure sports. LaCrosse anyone? When she’s not judging her kids' questionable teenage choices, she can be found hiding in a room buried in a good book or writing, editing, and dreaming about being a full-time author.

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