How to Trick a Child Into Becoming a Book Lover
I’ve always been a big book nerd, so it was definitely part of my parenting dreams that my kids were as obsessed with books as I am. I love it when the real world melts away, when I get lost in the story, and I want my children to know this feeling too. But when my son Lucas was 8 years old, about the same age as when I started my love affair with books, he didn’t show much interest. I read to him from birth, and while he liked some of the picture books and popular science literature, I couldn’t get him to dive into an honestly conscientious chapter of the book, no matter how much I promised him that he would love It. I didn’t want to keep pestering him about this because it would only strengthen his resolve to bump into his heels. I needed to get creative.
I came up with a clever plan with several parts. I had a strong feeling that my son would love Harry Potter, so one night I snuggled up to him to read, as on any other evening, with JK Rowling ‘s Philosopher’s Stone in hand. I read the first few chapters, and in the middle of Chapter 4, right after Hagrid dropped a bomb on Harry, calling him a wizard, I stopped.
“Uh, my throat hurts. I can’t go any further. ”
“Oh, mom, a little more?”
“Sorry dear, today my voice can no longer stand.”
” Please ?”
Ha! My plan worked. I told him that if he wanted to read a little alone, I would let him stay awake a little.
He enthusiastically agreed, fully convinced that he was getting away with something. And that was the night my son was obsessed with Harry Potter and fiction in general. I’ll never forget how, a few months later, he ran into my room when he should have fallen asleep and threw himself into my arms, sobbing over that special character that dies in Book 5 (I won’t spoil him just in case some of the readers somehow managed not to read and not see Harry Potter).
We pretty much stick to a bedtime regimen, but when it comes to reading late at night, I tend to look the other way. Within reason, of course, but for me it’s worth it for my kids to skip a few minutes of sleep if that means they’re developing a love of reading. And to sweeten the deal even more, whenever my son finished the next book in the series, I rewarded him with a family movie night of popcorn and buttered candy.
Today, at 13, my son is rarely without something to read within his reach, and I believe it all the first night I tricked him into falling in love with J.K. Rowling.
So, if you have a reader who doesn’t think he enjoys reading, I wholeheartedly recommend my little dastardly attack. Key points for a nail:
- Make sure you pick a genre and story that you know they will like – ideally the movie to which the movie is added.
- Start by reading to them (you’re doing all the work here!) Until you realize you’ve hooked them completely and irrevocably. Wide glazed eyes and a drooping jaw suggest that now is the time to complain that you have a sore throat and you simply cannot read another sentence.
- Make an inline reward. Go to bed later if you, like us, usually read at night. It takes a few sleepy mornings from time to time for your child to become a reader of a lifetime.
- Offer them book light. This is necessary if they are sharing a room with a brother or sister, and reading with the lights off in the bedroom is somehow more exciting.
- Make your movie night a big event. When he first started out, it was a great incentive for my son, especially for thick books. I, too, would not give in and let him watch it ahead of time. He must finish the book first.
Watching a movie after reading a book is also a pleasure because you can compare the book to a movie with your child, teaching them critical thinking skills that they can use in school and in life. And you can prove to your child that a book is really always better than a movie. A truth every proud book botanist knows.