How can I encourage my 8yo DS to read for pleasure?

[Sideofnoreturn]

My 8yo DS is an excellent reader - I taught him before he started school, he’s always ahead of his class and consistently got greater depth on all aspects of English.

I did an English lit degree and reading has always been a huge part of my life. I constantly read at home. The DCs are coming down with books. DS even has all my old ones that I lovingly treasured!

BUT whilst DS (just turned 8, year 3) loves being read to and loves listening to his yoto player, he doesn’t really read for pleasure at all.

How do I encourage him? I want him to be able to find the joy in it, and to be able to entertain himself. He’s a bright and curious boy in all other respects so I find it very weird that he doesn’t yet pick up a book, or want to read ahead in his bedtime story himself. The only thing he’s really ever voluntarily read is joke books as he loves making people laugh.

Absolutely this.

My sister only ever read the Beano, gradually moved onto other books and ended up taking an English literature degree. She reads everything and anything now!

My son's never showed any interest in reading fiction.I just encouraged the sports section in newspaper, Guinness book of records etc .
They are both very successful adults and one son now has a passion for reading but only factual books

Thanks very much - so many good insights and lots of things to try. I will try some of the recommendations and put some ideas into practice and report back!

@CrushingOnRubies the books are stacked up in one of those ikea Kallax things, probably about 50 per cube across 3 cubes (out of 6) because many of them are slim and the cubes are double depth iysim, so it’s not like he’s sleeping in a library or anything, but I do take your point that perhaps just offering him one or two might be easier for him.

DH old beano comics at DGP house was what got DS reading.

Then it's finding series they like - all my DC struggled but now are readers as teens young adults. If you have a decent librarynear you make regular trips there to see what he picks or take him in book shops and see if anything grabs him.

How to train your dragon, graphic novels lots of choice thses days- Horrible history series and related series science /geography - with DD2 it was Weekly junior all helped mine - it's just finding right reading material.

Dog man and the treehouse books. Really silly stories. Read to him. Maybe do a chapter each? Something fun

Find him something he gets pleasure from reading?

Is there a series any of his friends are into, that can sometimes work.

Or if he likes funny things, try and find something that would work for his sense of humour.

Or if he likes reading to learn things/gain skills, try finding some non fiction books with facts he would be interested in or "how to XYZ" books - how to do magic tricks? This might work if he likes entertaining people.

Sounds like my DS a year ago. Able to read, liked being read to, surrounded by a variety of books but wouldn't pick one up himself.

Start of Y4 we were walking home with a friend and went past a box of free books on the street. His friend spotted some wimpy kid books and was really pleased to find the next one he hadn't read. That got my DS interested and he picked up the first wimpy kid book. He read through that, realised he could read a whole book and get pleasure from it and since then has been off.

Mine likes silly funny stories when reading himself - he's now read all the wimpy kids, and also likes dog man, bunny vs monkey, captain underpants, Asterix. Currently really enjoying Walliams - I've had to unclench a bit with these and realise he's enjoying reading a 40,000 word book and who knows what it'll lead him to pick up next.

We've a lovely routine at bedtime right now - I read him a chapter of the book we are reading together (something a bit harder we both enjoy - Missie Lee right now), then we both read our own books side by side for half an hour or so. I'm reading more myself now than I have for ages. Its lovely. Hope yours finds the gateway drug soon!

Get a subscription to the Phoenix comic. I think you can do the first 6 issues for a pound.

Honestly its great. DD is a brilliant reader but she needs to do a certain amount of relaxed reading or its all too much. Graphic novels and comic books are great for this.

See Big Nate books. They are hilarious, he'll like them.

Second that, the Phoenix is great and has spin off books (all available 2nd hand in eBay)

Has he tried some different genres of books - like science fiction, horror, which might catch his interest more? Like Goosebumps, or I remember from my early Secondary years the Point Horror books.

Do they still do Guinness Book of Records? My son was hooked by that, and then moved onto encyclopaedia etc. From there, he went to fiction.

my 7yr old DS is the same, I’ve told him it’s part of his homework to read one chapter a night of a book of his choosing. I find as a parent ‘I’m nagging’ but if a teacher says it then it’s ok! I’m going to have a little quiet word with the teacher to ask her to quietly praise him for doing this as positive reinforcement. The irony is now he’s doing this, he’s actually enjoying the book he chose and will often ask for a bit more time to read a bit more!

Hello, just to say thanks for the further replies. I’ve subscribed to the Phoenix - first 6 issues for £1 - bargain! So looking forward to that arriving.

@MustUseAName he has had Guinness book of records and it’s a good call as he did read it. Didn’t seem to make the leap to other things after but I’m hoping it’s a matter of time.