How to get children reading because they want to, not because they have to.
Charlotte Hacking has ten suggestions.
Reading for pleasure does not happen by accident. It grows out of time, access, relationships, and an understanding that reading is not simply a skill to be mastered, but a cultural, social and emotional experience. At a time when pressures on schools, families and children feel greater than ever, it is worth returning to what we know really matters. The following ten points build directly from classroom practice, research and lived experience, and are offered as practical, realistic ways to nurture children who choose to read because they want to, not because they have to.
- Reading together
We need to relook at what supports effective cognitive development for children as well as what supports academic development, and shared reading sits at the heart of both. Reading together, including multiple re-readings of favourite books, is key. When children hear the same story again and again, they deepen their understanding of language, narrative and meaning, and they do so in a way that feels safe, predictable and pleasurable.
Reading to children allows them to experience the pleasures reading can bring, to learn vocabulary, sentence structures and the patterns of language and texts, and to see different purposes for reading, all without the cognitive overload of having to lift the words from the page themselves. They can focus on meaning, emotion and enjoyment.
This remains just as important for older children. A child’s reading comprehension does not catch up with their listening comprehension until around the age of 12 or 13. Reading aloud to children and reading with them therefore continues to matter long after they can read independently, offering access to richer language and more complex texts than they might manage alone.
Audiobooks, alongside and as well as print texts, are also a valuable vehicle. They allow children to hear what fluent reading sounds like, to engage with texts they may not yet be able to read for themselves, or to revisit texts, gaining a deeper understanding of what they have heard. Importantly, they exemplify that listening to stories is also a form of reading.
- Access to books
A factor we cannot escape, and which drives much of the disengagement from reading for pleasure, is the financial situation and the widening inequality gap. School finances are stretched, and English budgets are often subject to external pressures that dictate how money is spent. In many schools, funding phonics training, decodable texts and scheme books has taken priority in recent years, leaving less money for real books. Too often, teachers fill these gaps from their own personal collections or pockets.
At the same time, disposable income in many households has reduced, leaving parents with less money to spend on buying books. The underfunding and closure of local libraries further limits public access to a wide range of high-quality, expertly curated texts.
Access also means access to places where books are chosen with care. While popular chain stores and supermarkets are convenient, they rarely offer the breadth, diversity and specialist knowledge provided by local independent booksellers. If children are to encounter books that truly speak to them, these spaces matter.
- The Importance of Libraries
Public libraries are an essential resource. They offer carefully curated collections, knowledgeable librarians who can encourage and recommend reading, and welcoming spaces that feel different from school. Libraries also run engaging activities that encourage reading, such as bounce and rhyme sessions, author and illustrator workshops, and initiatives like the Summer Reading Challenge, which help sustain reading habits over time.
School libraries are also important, but it is vital to recognise what it takes to set up and maintain them well. A library is not just a room with shelves. It requires funding for ongoing book stock, trained staff and dedicated time within an already crowded curriculum. Schools face enormous pressures, and this work must be properly valued.
That said, every classroom should have a well-stocked, thoughtfully curated book corner, tailored to the needs and interests of that class. Partnerships between schools and local libraries can strengthen provision further, through librarian visits, regular school trips and shared expertise, ensuring children experience a wide and current range of books.
- Ensuring choice and not upholding a hierarchy of reading
Don’t be snobby about books. Children enjoy a wide range of reading: picturebooks at all ages, comics and graphic novels, poetry, highly illustrated texts, humorous books, information texts, short stories and novels. Children should be supported to express their own tastes and preferences, with adults acting as guides on the side rather than gatekeepers.
Reading is not a race to a novel. More text and more pages do not automatically mean better reading. What matters is engagement, meaning and pleasure.
Classroom book corners, personal selections and libraries should reflect this diversity, giving children opportunities to explore different kinds of texts and discover what appeals to them. When children feel their choices are respected, they are far more likely to choose to read.
- Know the value of different types of reading
Illustrated and graphic texts are not stepping stones to ‘real’ reading; they are highly sophisticated, multimodal forms of literacy. Picturebooks allow children to experience complete narratives in short form, exploring character, pacing, plot and emotional depth. They also support children’s understanding of how stories work, feeding directly into their own writing.
Comics and graphic novels can be fast-paced, exciting and humorous, requiring readers to integrate visual and textual information in complex ways. Humorous books, when done well, are powerful motivators. Good humour invites readers to laugh alongside characters, not at them.
Information texts can be deeply satisfying for children interested in the world around them, and for some readers they offer more engagement than fiction. Poetry, too, is often overlooked, despite its ability to captivate, challenge and resonate emotionally. Traditional tales introduce children to the rhythms and patterns of storytelling and often offer space for reflection on behaviour and values.
Novels provide sustained immersion, allowing readers to build deeper understanding over time. Audio and digital texts also have a role, particularly when linked to print versions, reinforcing that these formats are part of a broader reading experience. Quality matters across all formats, and suitability should always be considered.
- Ensuring reading doesn’t feel squeezed in or pressured
Time is one of the biggest challenges. Digital advances promised to give us more of it, yet email, smartphones and messaging apps have made it harder for adults to switch off from work. Economic pressures mean many parents are working longer or multiple jobs, reducing time for shared leisure, including reading.
In schools, an overstuffed curriculum leaves little room for sustained reading aloud, even in the early years. If reading is constantly squeezed into the margins, it risks feeling like an optional extra rather than something that matters. Protecting time for reading together sends a powerful message about its value.
- Understanding the difference between practising reading and purposeful, pleasurable reading
A recent reading report from HarperCollins and Farshore showed that many parents view reading primarily as a subject to be learned, rather than a pleasurable activity. Children spend significant time at school practising the mechanics of reading, including phonics, so reading at home should focus mainly on real books and meaningful experiences.
This includes environmental print, non-fiction linked to interests, poetry and stories. Scheme or decodable books sent home are for practice and should be approached without panic or pressure. Adults should praise effort, offer help when needed and talk about meaning, characters and ideas, keeping the experience conversational rather than instructional.
If reading becomes stressful, it is better to pause and return later. A child who feels anxious about reading is unlikely to choose it voluntarily.
- Browsing and choosing
Choosing what to read can itself feel overwhelming, with thousands of new children’s books published each year. Children benefit from seeing how experienced readers choose: considering mood, interests, favourite authors, recommendations, covers, blurbs and first pages.
It is equally important to model putting a book down when it isn’t enjoyable. This is something confident readers do all the time, and it reinforces that reading is about pleasure, not endurance.
Knowing where to go for recommendations helps. Librarians, independent booksellers, specialist magazines, charities and award lists offer thoughtful guidance, often more reliable than commercially driven charts.
- Sharing tastes and preferences, creating a community of readers
Talking about reading matters. This does not mean formal comprehension questions or follow-up tasks, but genuine conversations about likes, dislikes, questions and connections. Discussing who else might enjoy a book helps children understand that readers have different tastes and that reading is a shared cultural activity.
Keeping an informal log of books read can support future choices without turning reading into a monitored task. Book clubs, whether at school, in libraries or informally, add a social dimension that many children find motivating and enjoyable.
- Engaging with creators
Children’s authors, poets and illustrators are more visible and accessible than ever, and they can be powerful sources of inspiration. Festivals, bookshop events and school visits allow children to connect texts with the people who create them.
Online resources also offer opportunities to hear authors read aloud, watch illustrators draw, or listen to poets perform. Exploring these together and linking creators back to their books helps children see reading as a living, human activity, rooted in creativity and connection.
Encouraging reading for pleasure is not about quick fixes. It is about creating conditions in which reading can flourish: time, access, choice, conversation and joy. When these are in place, reading becomes not just something children can do, but something they want to do.
Charlotte Hacking is the Teacher Engagement Lead at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy at UCL and the Research and Curriculum Lead and Teacher at Herne Hill School. She is also a children’s poetry editor on titles including The First Year and The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow and The Poetry World of John Agard.
