How do I get my children to be readers?

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I'm not a reader myself, probably read a dozen books in my life. DH better in his youth but never reads now - just watches telly or gaming in his chill time (We are educated but maths/science degrees).

DC are 3 and 5. I want them to be better than us! DD5 is just learning to read but she's not that keen, she always wants 'easy ones', but we read together at bed time daily. DS3 shows more interest in books but obviously can't read yet. But we read together every night and he finishes the sentences etc.

Is there anything else we should do? Should we be reading in our free time to set a good example?

Read yourself, have books around. Our family was part of a study on child development and one of the things they did was ask how many children's books you had in the house. I know this is clearly related to income but also how much importance you place on books.

No idea. DH and I are both readers, we’ve read to DD all her life, she lives in a house full of books, and at 10 she’d rather pull her teeth out without anaesthetic than pick up a book. It depresses me.

Read a few times a day ideally, bedtime is great but try and substitute at least a bit of tv for books. Seeing you reading is good but don't feel guilty if they don't

I agree with pp - I'm not sure you can.

I enjoy reading (books and Audible). We have books in the house to access. I was an avid reader as a child too, even though my parents didn't really read. It came from me. I loved it, especially when I found authors I adored (Roald Dahl, then Judy Blume and Stephen King as a teen).

My sons have been raised with books, lots of different books read to them at night, books bought to pique their interests, different styles and genres of books (e.g. Alex Ryder graphic style novels when suggested) and attending schools where reading was encouraged, but still, now 14, they don't like reading (both academic in maths and science). My brother didn't like reading either, preferred science tests etc.

By all means, explore and encourage reading but it's no guarantee - they need to love it too!

We also used audio books, along with the written book for children who found it hard to read at a level, that they were interested in. DGD1 was dyslexic and read this way.
Also a childminded child I had who absolutely hated reading, just couldn't sit still long enough to read, found audio books were great for listening to while running, and walking the dog. He was 13 and it was just as the HP books came out. Now listens to a book a week.
DGD2 who is 3 is read to a lot both by parents and us. Has 2 stories before she goes to bed, then listens yk stories via alexa as she fall asleep. Has no screen in the car, but has audio stories instead.

Dont just limit it to bed time.
Especially for the 3 year old, have a small pile of books available for them throughout the day near their toys but easy to see and access.
Let the 5 year old read the easy books as well as the book of your preference. It might get them more interested.
Try books with flaps, pull and slides, look and search books, touch and feel. It'll get then interested in books even if they're not actually reading them

Turn the subtitles on when they watch TV.

Don’t get too hooked up on what they are reading. If they prefer comics or non-fiction, then that’s fine. They are reading.

One of my dc hit all his reading targets on time, the other was behind, then in one year leapt several bands. They all read at different rates.

Find books that appeal to the dc. Dc1 wasn’t keen on reading fiction books until we discovered Rob Childs, who write football-based children books. Suddenly he was hooked.

Also, go to the library and let them choose some books to read.

Speaking as a lifelong bookworm, and somebody who now works in libraries and runs both an adult's and a children's book Club - you can't! Two of mine are natural bookworms & love reading, the other is not keen.

I do offer them the option of going to bed early & reading so lights out later at weekends, and DS3 loves this. They are also not allowed to get up before 8am at the weekends but can read from 7am & all 3 do this. Also they come to libraries lots & can pick whatever they want non-fiction is as good as fiction. Plus they see me reading lots. I think this all helps, but won't override innate book-loving tendencies.

Limit screen time and delay the inevitable phone/iPad obsession as long as possible.

Even keen readers lose interest in books once screens are readily available.

Read to them, read with them, read in front of them, have books in the house. Use books as rewards, and treats. Have a library membership, and make it a family outing.

Reading is my passion , i could read at a very young age and was always supplied with books by my parents, my 3 kids know how important reading is to me.
My husband always has a book or 2 on the go and we have many books in our house .
All my kids were read to daily and supplied with books ,my eldest 23 year old reads but not daily , my 21 year old does not , my 12 year old dips in and out .
So i think despite encouragement and example i dont think you can force a child to be a reader .

I agree with pp - I'm not sure you can.

I agree - I've done everything here comics, graphic novels, magazines when could find them, really filled house with variety of book types made regular libary trips, limited screen time, made use of auido books seeing adults read around them and did books as treats.

I have one reader - DS - another sort of reads and eldest who doesn't really.

They all struggled with reading - I sent them loving books and stories and knowing the phonic sounds to school but their approach of mixed learning didn't help in early years - DS struggled most ironically.

They do seem to enjoy auido books so with eldest tend to get those more frequently.

Make library trips a regular thing. Never discourage reading, it’s their choice what they read. My bookworm 9 year old often starts a library visit by reading picture books aimed at preschoolers.
Don’t try to make it as if it is a chore/hard work.
Lead by example. Go to bookshops for browsing when you are in town. Let them find their favourites, don’t push on for reading books they may not be interested in. Good luck!

This is a good idea if you’re into bribery 😂

Simple : have lots of interesting books about and regularly curl up in a corner and read yourself.

Don't stress about your DD wanting "easy ones". As long as she's enjoying them that's fine. Take her to the library once a week and let her choose her own books. Get your own too. Ask the librarian for recommendations - for your daughter and yourself - they're always pleased to be asked.

Dont give them tech. When my non reading DS2 doesnt have accesa to tech, he reads.

Having grown up in a household where reading was encouraged / important, I don't read and have no interest in books. I probably read MN more than anything, but I never graduated from school stories to grown up books. So you can do everything right as a parent but I agree, reading for pleasure is no different to enjoying sport or music or whatever else - not everyone will want to do it or enjoy. I just find reading books a bit of a chore and would rather be doing something else.

Having grown up in a household where reading was encouraged / important, I don't read and have no interest in books.

I had the reverse - grew up in a house with no books, parents never read to me (and didn't read for pleasure themselves), siblings read comics only.

I was a total bookworm and still read now.

There's only so much parents can do.
Being bored helps though (which brings us back to restricting screen time).

You can lead a horse to water...
Agree with PP that it's not always just a case of loving reading and having books around. I'm an avid reader and always have been, but both of mine (9 and 12) love the idea of reading much more than the reality. They love books, love choosing them and flicking through them, but rarely sit and read, even when there's no tech or screens within 100 miles.

It's taken me a while to accept this, as I just cannot relate to it at all.

My mum (an academic and keen reader of anything and everything) just admitted to me that she barely read a book until her teens, when it all suddenly just clicked.

And if they don't ever take to reading for pleasure, we have to remember that it doesn't mean they won't be clever or educated or academic. Another family member is a respected researcher and academic, has published many articles and is even writing a book, but admits to having read about 5 novels in his life.

Patience, variety, low pressure.
DS2 (7) hasn't found the love yet. His imagination is currently in overdrive doing Pokemon in his head. We have every type of book going including Pokemon manuals and stories.

DS1 (9) has dyspraxia with visual stress so goes for non-fiction with lots of chunks. A page of solid prose makes his blood run cold. But he does like an illicit late night sneaky read.

Easy ones are fine. Also they might like ‘The book with no pictures’. My dd wanted that endlessly. (It’s good for them to read the same book over and over).
What books do you like to read?

Read to them without conditions , I used to read to mine together and encourage them to take turns to choose the book although for a three year old I would probably be doing some of the choosing myself. It should be fun by the way and a routine but not a chore .they also need to see you and DH reading for pleasure on a regular basis. No need to pressurise them , even if they don't take to reading in the next few years all the reading will enhance their knowledge and vocabularies as well as bringing you all together for a lovely shared pastime .

Relieved to see so many others in the same boat as me - read to my DC all the time when they were little, they loved stories and reading, as do I. Fast forward a few years and while DS 12 still has a bedtime story every night (eg Artemis Fowl etc) and will sometimes read a book himself at other times, DD 14 will only read if I bribe her. I couldn't have set a better example but she's just not interested