We are surrounded by technology all day long. As a bookworm, I pushed back hard against the rise of the e-reader. My sister and I stood in solidarity that we would NOT give up our hardcover and paperback books in favor of another screen. And yet, even we eventually fell and started reading on e-readers. (Even though we still read regular books more often than not). But with the rise of e-readers, tablets, and smartphones, there is the fear that kids are reading less, and becoming more addicted to screens. So I’m sharing my tips on how to raise a bookworm in the digital age.

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3. Surround Them with Books

I know, I know. It sounds so simple. Too simple, in fact. But the fact remains that surrounding kids with texts not only provides them with lots of opportunities to read, but also encourages curiosity in the texts around them. We have boxes of books in every room of the house. (I did not completely plan to have them in EVERY single room, but my daughter had her own plans). We even have books in our outdoor patio in the summer, and in each car. There are books everywhere we go. And there is not a day that goes by that my daughter doesn’t pick up a book to flip through on her own.

She picks them up and asks me to read them. She looks at the pictures and repeats the stories to herself. Since she is learning to read, she is now picking out words that she knows as she flips through them. We have read during meals, while she gets dressed, and while she swings on her swing. There are tons of small opportunities during the day to fit in a little reading, and having those books available reminds us to grab a book to fill those moments.

2. Let Them See You Read

When you fill your house with books, don’t just add books for your kids to read! Studies show that kids who see their parents reading are more likely to read as well. As a bookworm, I always have books on hand anyway. But I make an effort to show my daughter that I love reading for myself too. While I do read on my Kindle and on the Kindle app on my phone (which tripled my books read!), I try not to do this in front of my daughter too often. I want her to see me reading physical books so she recognizes that I’m reading. When she sees me reading on my phone, she doesn’t know if I’m scanning through Facebook or reading a classic novel. I would rather she see me reading a physical book so she has that physical reminder.

Related Post: Finding Time to Read as a Busy Mom

And the #1 Way to Get Kids Reading in the Digital Age

*Drum Roll*

1. Read With Them!

I have said it before, and I will say it over and over again. Reading with your kids is the number one way to get your kids interested in reading. There is no such things “too young” or “too old”. It is never too early or too late to start. I read to my daughter on her first night home from the hospital. I also had a professor in grad school that took five minutes at the end of every class to read us a picture book and give us a mental break. You are never too young or too old to enjoy a good book.

Reading to your kids not only shows them that reading is important and fun, but it always helps them to associate positive and loving feelings with reading. The times that you spend snuggled up together and enjoying a good book provide all of you with good memories. Plus, it is a great way to wind down at the end of a long day, or to start a day on the right foot.

Make it part of your day

Set a screen-free time every day when you will all read. It doesn’t even matter what or how. Maybe you all snuggle up together to share a picture book (or two… or twelve). But maybe the kids are fighting and reading all together isn’t going to work. Then get out a basket of books and let everyone choose their own. Or come up with a quick silly game where the winner gets to choose. Or just let everyone take their own books to their own corners and read or peruse by themselves. If your kids are older and want to read on their own, then everyone can read their own books. Or you can take turns reading interesting articles to each other in a magazine. Reading is reading, no matter what kind.

Check out this post for some fun ways to track reading as a family, and even make it a game!

*Parenting Disclaimer*

This is not to say that weaning kids off screens will be easy. Nor am I saying that we don’t have screen time in our house. We do. One of my daughter’s “treats” is a couple minutes of screen time playing her favorite educational game. (Definitely check out Khan Academy Kids!). But even with her love of that game, and her growing interest in screens, she asks for the tablet way less often than she asks for books. Set realistic expectations when you get started with a technology detox. And most importantly, don’t force reading to the point that it becomes a chore. Find new and different ways to “read” together if the traditional read aloud doesn’t work for you today.

Find some humor in your reading situations with this list: 5 Things Experts Don’t Tell You About Reading to Kids