How to get students into the rhythm of reading (for pleasure and for progress!)

Among children, reading for pleasure has fallen to the lowest levels ever, says a report from the UK's National Literary Trust. In a world packed with digital distractions, it’s no surprise that reading doesn’t catch children’s attention in the same way it used to.

But reading is crucial for young people’s development. Studies show it promotes language and literacy skills, improves memory, boosts communication skills, builds empathy, and helps children understand the world in different ways. Research also reveals that students who read for pleasure tend to perform better in school.

So, how can teachers get students to read more for fun? Below are some tips to encourage consistent reading for pleasure in your class.

How to get students into the rhythm of reading

Reading for pleasure can make your students more curious and critical thinkers – but it doesn’t happen overnight. Forging a resilient reading habit requires developing a consistent routine and fostering genuine interest with your students. Try the following strategies:

1. Create a whole school reading culture

Students are sponges – quick to absorb what’s happening around them. That’s why it’s valuable to create the kind of school-wide reading culture which can influence children to read. The more students see that their peers are reading, the more likely they are to participate in reading as a group activity and enjoy it.

Building a reading culture starts by making reading a visible and shared experience in your school. That means having book fairs, read-a-thons and talks from authors alongside daily class and independent reading sessions.

Your school library should be a welcoming, colourful and interesting place, with dedicated spaces to read and talk about reading. It should be well-stocked, so students have a diverse selection of books to choose from and engage with. It’s a good idea too, to ask students what type of books they’d like to have in the library, to make them feel included in the reading culture.

Read what does a whole school reading culture look like? for more advice.

2. Introduce diverse reading lists

Your students are more likely to engage with books, characters and settings that they can see themselves in. That’s why diverse reading lists are so important.

Stories and narratives written by people from different backgrounds broaden students' exposure to the world and communities, and allow them to access new perspectives and places all from the classroom.

To curate a diverse reading list, try to have books by authors from different cultures, nationalities, ages, and identities. You could also partner with local libraries and cultural organisations to ensure that students read literature from people in their immediate community.

As students form a deeper connection between reading and real life, they’ll be more enthusiastic about reading for pleasure.

Find out why diverse voices on reading lists are important, and browse this selection of nine diverse books for secondary schools.

3. Use reading as a tool to manage stress and uncertainty

For students to read more recreationally, it’s important to help them view reading as beneficial – not just a mandatory task. Explaining to your students that reading can be a tool to deal with stress and uncertainty can let them frame reading as a positive thing, and something they want to do more of.

Talk to your students about how reading develops emotional resilience and can be a comfort in difficult times. You could use fantasy books as an example, using quotes and excerpts to demonstrate how they can escape into imagined worlds. Or you could use books that actively dive into feelings and how to regulate them. Alternatively, calming or uplifting stories can help students be more mindful or remember that difficult moments do pass.

In tandem with these talks, you could set up a reading nook where students can sit with a book when they are overwhelmed. This physical space reminds them that reading can be a healthy response to confusing emotions, and can encourage them to mimic the space outside of school.

Learn more about how reading helps students deal with stress and uncertainty.

4. Read aloud

Reading aloud to your students is one of the most effective ways to improve their reading comprehension. Not to mention, it’s an opportunity to be expressive and engage young children with reading through character voices, scene-setting, and generally more animated storytelling.

When students hear you read aloud, they understand tonal shifts and unwritten cues or meanings in books that make reading much more exciting. When they come to read on their own, they can make up their style of narration – imagining characters, worlds, and plots in their own way. This personalisation is what makes reading special, and draws students to read independently and more often.

You could dedicate time every day or week to read aloud, and even ask students to take it in turns to read aloud to one another with their personal spin on the story. At the same time, you could invite students to predict what happens next in the story, so that everyone has a sense of inclusion.

Take a look at the discussion around what has reading ever done for us?

5. Develop coping skills through reading

Similar to using reading as a tool for stress and uncertainty, reading can develop coping skills among children too. These skills make students feel more confident, which can sway them into reading more regularly.

Aim to read with students – and assign students to read – books with themes of friendship, problem-solving, and resilience. Where possible, give students books with characters and contexts that reflect them. You can then lead discussions about the decisions and consequences in the story, and what students think about them, and what they would have done differently. The goal is to support students in establishing healthy habits to cope with unexpected events.

Get started with these nine children’s books about coping with change.

Read your students

Many children do love reading, but for others, it may not be so natural. These strategies can show your students the advantages of reading, while also reinforcing reading as fun and specific to each reader.

Take care to tailor what you recommend to students based on their interests and reading ability, and apply positive reinforcement when students do read on their own time. With patience and perseverance, you’ll have a class of students moving to their unique reading rhythm.