A new chapter: how to help Northampton's children rediscover a love of reading
When was the last time your child picked up a book simply because they wanted to? For some children, reading is still a favourite way to spend a quiet afternoon. For others, getting them to swap the screen for a few pages can feel like a challenge in itself.
With 2026 marking the National Year of Reading, there is a timely opportunity to make reading feel exciting again – and that does not have to mean forcing children through a chapter before bedtime.
Here, Becky Ward, Education Specialist at Tutor Doctor, shares why reading for pleasure matters, what’s behind the current reading gap and some simple ways parents can help children rediscover the fun of picking up a book.
Are children choosing to read?
UK children, overall, are strong readers. The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results show 15-year-olds in the UK scored 494 for reading, compared with a global average of 461.1
There’s more good news too. More than a third of children surveyed by the National Literacy Trust, 36.1%, said they enjoyed reading in their spare time – the first increase since COVID.2
Encouraging more children to discover that enjoyment in reading can bring wider benefits too, helping to build their vocabulary, develop their imagination, strengthen confidence with language and introduce them to new ideas and perspectives.
So, what’s getting in the way?
With screens, gaming, sport, friends and plenty more competing for your child’s attention, reading has a lot to contend with. For some, it can also become closely tied to schoolwork – with set texts, comprehension questions and reading logs shaping how they see it.
Access makes a difference too. Last year, 24.1% of children with a book of their own read daily – compared with just 6.8% of those without one.3
Familiar interests can also provide a useful starting point. The National Literacy Trust’s latest research highlights links with hobbies, favourite films and TV programmes, alongside having their own say, as the biggest motivators to get children back into reading.4
Five great ways to bring reading back:
1. Broaden what ‘counts’ as reading – reading doesn’t have to mean sitting down with a novel. Comics, graphic novels, magazines, poetry, recipes, sports articles and books about favourite hobbies all count. If they’re reading and enjoying it, that’s a win.
2. Follow their interests and let them choose – a football fan might happily devour a player’s biography, while a child obsessed with dinosaurs, gaming or a particular film may be much more enthusiastic about something connected to that world. Giving children ownership over what they read can help it feel like something that belongs to them, rather than another lesson.
3. Make it social – read together, take turns or simply chat about something you’ve both enjoyed. Reading doesn’t always have to be a quiet, solitary activity, and sharing the experience can help take away some of the pressure.
4. Make reading easy to find – leave books, comics and magazines within reach and look for little opportunities to read throughout the day rather than relying on a strict routine. Not every book needs to become a lesson – sometimes simply enjoying it is enough.
5. Keep it fun – try Tutor Doctor’s Reading Bingo Challenge, with ideas such as reading outside, sharing a book with a friend, trying a graphic novel or reading something that’s been made into a film.
That’s where the National Year of Reading can help change the conversation too – focusing less on how much children should read and more on helping them discover something they genuinely want to read.
A love of reading can start anywhere – with a comic, a football magazine or a favourite book they’ve already read three times. Give children the freedom to find what they enjoy and there’s a much better chance they’ll keep coming back to it.