Kids learn by example, so set a positive one by taking part in your child's literacy journey, writes David Robertson.monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images
It’s a familiar scene for parents: You walk into a room and see your kid playing a video game or scrolling through social media on their phone, while the book you gave them sits somewhere else, neglected and gathering dust. It’s easy to understand the worry this brings. Many parents fear that digital outlets are replacing reading and fuelling what’s often described as a literacy or reading crisis.
But I believe that panic may be misplaced. From what I see as a parent and author, including of several children’s books, reading hasn’t disappeared – although it has changed. And that raises some important questions: What does reading among young people actually look like today? And how can we encourage them to continue to read, especially in their teen years when reading for fun often declines? Here are some strategies.
Expand what you consider ‘real’ reading
We need to redefine what we consider “real” reading. If your kid is reading a comic rather than a thick, 400-page novel, they’re still reading. Comics and graphic novels are literature, full stop.
This realization hit home for me years ago, when I was driving my four-year-old and noticed him quietly flipping through a graphic novel in the backseat. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was reading. Although he wasn’t reading the words, he was able to describe what the book was about because he was reading the pictures. Comic books and graphic novels are forms of literature that encourage reading and develop literacy skills because of how visuals support the text, yet a stigma remains attached to them that we need to do away with, no matter the age of the reader.
Shorter and alternative forms of literature – including graphic novels, webcomics, poetry and fan fiction – can help build confidence in those who struggle with reading, or have learning disabilities or mental health challenges. Young readers may also turn to fan fiction and online storytelling communities because these spaces help them feel understood, supported and in control of the stories they care about. And some researchers have argued that graphic novels are valuable teaching tools to help youth learn about social justice issues.
Give them a choice and feed their interests
What should you do if your kid is a reluctant reader, especially as they enter their teen years? In my experience as a father of teens and as a writer regularly interacting with this age group in schools, I’ve learned certain strategies can encourage young people to discover some form of literature.
The first is connecting reading to their interests or passions. You know your teen, and there are books out there to match any area of interest. So if your kid is a hockey player, get them a few hockey books or graphic novels about the sport.
Second, foster their agency. Allow teens to choose what they want to read: They are motivated when reading aligns with their passion. This is true of form, but also of topic.
Encourage stories that reflect their own experiences
I think of myself as being in the business of representation. The children’s literature scholar Rudine Sims Bishop described books as windows, sliding glass doors and mirrors. She said of books as mirrors, “Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection, we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience.” There is a tangible, powerful impact in seeing yourself in a story.
This is especially important for marginalized youth, including Indigenous, racialized or LGBTQ teens, but it also applies to literally any kid who picks up a book. Mirroring in literature is reading a story that you see yourself in, that you understand and that relates to your own lived experience.
When I wrote the Reckoner Trilogy, a young adult fantasy book series about a teenager named Cole Harper trying to be a hero while living with anxiety, I was often asked to visit classrooms to talk about it. It was rare that a student didn’t approach me afterwards to tell me that they saw themselves in Cole.
Engagement in a story leads to interest in other stories. Reading a book that reflects one’s world or experiences can instill in youth a love of reading about other worlds as well.
Let them see you read
Modelling behaviour is always important as a parent: Kids imitate what they see more than what they’re told. If you’re finding it hard to get a book in your teen’s hands, ask yourself how much you are reading. Do they see you immersed in the world of a story? If you want your kid to read, you have to be a reader, too.
Creating a family reading time and allowing your kids to see you reading can be effective. This modelling is bolstered when you share enthusiasm for the book or story you’re in the middle of, and show interest in what they’re reading, too. Try asking about a line or a character they connected with.
I’m not against gamifying the practice of reading, either, by offering positive reinforcement for progress that isn’t necessarily tied to page count, or creating a comfortable reading space for them (maybe with a side of snacks). Any way that you can get your teen to read is great because ritual builds habit.
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In the end, the goal isn’t for your kid feel obligated to read, like it’s a chore they must do alongside taking out the garbage or switching the laundry. It’s to raise young adults who are excited by stories. I still remember the children’s fantasy novel that made me fall in love with reading – Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce – and it’s influenced me and my work today.
If you can help a kid find a form and topic that meets them where they’re at, you’re already winning. Curiosity grows quickly when it’s given room, opportunity and choice. Sometimes, it just takes one thing. One character, one quiet moment that connects. Once your kid steps through the door, they’ll keep walking and discovering for the rest of their lives.
David A. Robertson is a two-time Governor-General’s Literary Award winner and has won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Writers’ Union of Canada Freedom to Read Award. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg.