Seven tips for getting tweens reading

A graphic featuring tweens enjoying books

Need seven tips for getting tweens reading? You might have read our blog post about getting preschoolers reading as a foundation for a lifelong love of books. But as your kid gets older, many other exciting things are competing for their attention, and you may find that the old tricks to get them reading don’t work as well anymore.

Tweens (8-12 years old) are a savvy bunch with a rocketing sense of who they are and what they do or don’t like, and they are less likely to be coaxed into doing what you want them to – a little foreshadowing of the teen defiance ahead.

But ask any avid reader when they fell in love with reading, and the answer is almost always when they were around 8-12 years old.

This makes sense. At this age, kids are reading independently, books are longer and more engaging, and fictional characters appeal to tweens’ growing interest in their social lives and peers.

We can barely get our tweens to tidy their rooms without negotiations to rival most peace talks, and Roblox is an easy and tempting way for them to unwind. So, how do we keep kids reading at this critical time?

Some strategies we use to get preschoolers reading still work with tweens (and beyond!), like modelling reading for pleasure and letting your kids choose what to read.

But here are our top seven tween-specific tips for getting your child reading.

1. Make reading social.

Tweens are becoming sociable creatures, and their peers are super important to them now. Read what your tween is reading, get them reading what their friends are reading, and read the books they are reading at school. Then get your kid talking about books!

2. Connect reading to your tween’s passion.

What does your tween love? Keep them reading by finding books about things they’re passionate about. Trevor Noah’s autobiography, a fictional story about young soccer players, or Minecraft or Pokemon books will keep your tween engaged by connecting reading to what is relevant and exciting to them. 

3. Give your tween books at the correct reading level.

Books below your tween’s reading level are boring, and books above their level will be frustrating. Help your child select the right material to be engaged and feel empowered to read independently.

4. Read the first few chapters together. 

Sometimes, the first step really is the hardest! When your tween struggles to get oriented with a new place, set of characters, and storyline, reading together can give them momentum to keep going on their own.

5. Build family reading time into your routine.

Try a daily or weekly “family reading time” ritual. Maybe when homework is finished on weekdays or after Sunday lunch. The whole family sits down together to read for twenty minutes – magazines, newspapers, recipe books, whatever!

6. Keep devices out of bedrooms.

If your tween is not allowed to take their device to bed, they are more likely to read before sleep.

7. Gift books.

If you can, give your tween a book for every birthday and Christmas (or other special gift-giving occasion). New books are pricey, but second-hand bookshops have more affordable options that are as good as new.

Reading for fun is key

This is important! Pleasure is not incidental to reading – it’s essential. 

Research confirms, reading books for fun helps kids love to read. In one study, researchers said, “Reading for pleasure led the children to read for a number of reasons – at times, for sheer fun and enjoyment, but also for the profound intellectual, social-emotional, and psychological benefits they received.”

It is never too late to instil a love of reading in your tween. Try these tips to help a reluctant reader engage with books, and soon, Rowling will be on the entertainment menu alongside Roblox, along with all the benefits of building your child’s literacy.

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