May 29, 2026 · Bas, co-founder

How to Raise a True Reader: 5 Tips That Actually Work

By Bas, co-founder of Kids Chapters

As a parent, you want nothing more than for your child to love books. But what do you do when your child would rather stare at a screen than turn a page? The good news: a love of reading is not something you are born with. It grows. And anyone can help it grow, including you.

After hundreds of conversations with parents and creating personalised children's books for thousands of families, I have learned what truly works. Here are five tips you can start using today.

1. Read aloud every day, even after your child can read independently

Many families stop reading aloud the moment a child can read on their own. That is a shame. Reading together is about far more than learning letters: it is a ritual of connection, safety, and imagination. Children who are still read to regularly after they start school develop a richer vocabulary and a stronger imagination.

Make it a fixed moment, after dinner or just before bed. Fifteen minutes is enough to build an entire world.

2. Let your child choose

A child who chooses their own book reads more. It sounds simple, but many parents unconsciously steer towards "good" books. Trust your child's taste, even if it means reading the same dinosaur book for the tenth time. Repetition is not laziness. It is a sign that your child believes in something.

Go to the library together and say: "Pick three books you want to read." That sense of ownership is invaluable.

3. Make reading feel special

A cosy reading corner with a soft cushion, a small lamp, and a blanket can make all the difference. Children are creatures of ritual. If reading always comes with cosiness and attention, they associate books with a good feeling.

You do not need to turn it into an interior design project. A favourite chair by the window, or a blanket draped over two chairs: what matters is the feeling that reading is something special.

4. Give your child the starring role

This may be the most powerful tip of all: make sure your child sees themselves in the story. Research shows time and again that children who are the main character of a story become more deeply engaged with the text and ask for more chapters more often.

At Kids Chapters, we make exactly that possible: a book in which your child is the hero, with their name, appearance, and personality woven into every chapter. Parents tell us regularly that their child, who never wanted to read, now begs for one more page.

5. Join the story

Ask questions while you read, not as a test but as a game. "What do you think will happen next?" or "Would you do the same thing as Lena?" Reading becomes a conversation, and a conversation is always more exciting than a monologue.

When your child has an opinion about the story, they are engaged. And engagement is the shortest route to a love of reading.

Start today

There is no magic formula, but there is one common thread: reading must feel like something that belongs to the child. Not like homework, not like a duty. The more you lead by example as a parent and the more you let your child shine in their own story, the greater the chance they will carry their love of books with them for life.

Want to create a book in which your child is the star? Discover Kids Chapters and make a unique, personalised children's book today.

One thing matters more here than you might expect: who actually wrote the story. That is the subject of Why AI Cannot Write a Good Children's Book.