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.