Do you often think about how you can get your teenager to read more? Did they enjoy reading for fun when they were younger? Maybe back then, they jumped with excitement and anticipation to pick up a book. But now? They barely consider reading a book outside of using one to finish their homework, mandatory reading, or revision. If you answered yes to either of those questions, then this post is for you.

Now, you may wonder if your child can pick up a novel at will and indulge in the joy of reading ever again. At Dream Team Tutoring, we don’t want you just wondering; we want to help you succeed at unleashing the reader in your child, instead of just being someone who can read. To do this, we’ve gathered 8 top tips that will help you to support and encourage your teen.

Below are 4 do's and don'ts for you, as their parent, to encourage your teenager to read more in their digitised, social world.

4 Do’s To Get Your Teenager to Read More In the Digital Age

#1: Do Get Them To Join A Reading Community

There is stiff competition against digital devices and social media, and reading isn’t always atop the ‘fun’ list for teens. Research, reveals that part of the appeal of social media, and video streaming platforms is their ability to bring people of different backgrounds, and lifestyles together and the dopamine ("happy" hormone) hit they provide. 

Knowing that they are not the only ones reading can be an incentive to get them into reading, especially if they're reading the same book as other teens their age. So, in your attempt to get your teen reading more, encourage them to read in community instead of isolation. If you're wondering where to begin, we have our Dream Team Readers Club, our book club designed for teens and tweens. With our subscription, your child will receive one of our hand-picked monthly reads each month and get to discuss them alongside other teens their age.

#2 Do Incentivise or Challenge Your Teenager To Read

You may find that teen is reluctant to participate in reading for pleasure, but what are their attitudes toward a challenge or treat? You know your child best, and the chosen reward will depend on your child's preferences. Ad for it to be something you can uphold. The trick here is to introduce reading as an addition or expectation to their daily or weekly routine.

For example, I'd recommend offering your child an incentive to read, say, ‘x’ amount of pages each week to start. This way, they have some responsibility and choice over when and how much they read each day.  

After all, consistency and interest are the goals here.

#3: Do Take An Interest In Your Teen's Digital Pursuit

Who says you have to take the digital out of the fun? Instead of seeing technology as an arch nemesis, you can become an ally and advocate for your child’s use of the digital to fuel their engagement with written material. Take an interest in the content your child is consuming to get an idea of what they're into. This can provide you with a conversation starter when next you want to discuss reading with them. You can even weave it into a conversation and hear their take on things. 

#4: Do Give Your Teenager Space To Express/Discover Without Judgement 

The teen years are formative, so chances are your teenager is experimenting with different hobbies or interests. By allowing them to read different age-appropriate books on their preferred topics and interests, they will cultivate their decision-making skills, and independence too. Even if they are teens, these are skills they need to develop.

If your teen prefers comics, graphic novels, anime, audiobooks or alternative book formats, lean into it. Reading isn't one-dimensional, and chances are their interests aren't either. Since you aim to support your teen's reading habits, you will want to lead with curiosity and an open mind to know where their interests lie.

3 Things To Avoid In Getting Your Teenager to Read More

Now we’ll run through the things you’ll want to avoid. We know that you are well-meaning and have your teenager's best interest in mind. We know that in parenting, our actions aren't always seen in the caring way they are intended. For this reason, we’ll share things you want to avoid to not put your teen off reading altogether.

#1: Don't Helicopter Them

As children become teens, they have a greater desire for independence; this may cause them to feel as though they don’t need to engage in any reading activities as they don’t see the point.

The aim is to pique their interest, not micromanage them.

#2: Don’t Intimidate or Threaten Them

Your child’s aversion to reading isn’t always your fault, nor is it your child's fault. Perhaps there are underlying reasons why they are uninterested in reading, like they:

• aren’t confident in their reading ability
• always have to read out loud in class
• always have to read books that are boring to them
• don’t feel that reading is useful to them
• are not seeing characters who look, sound or are relatable to them

Notice I mention reading here instead of books because reading, in many ways, is a part of the world we live in. Whether it's reading signs on the way to school, a poster or billboard at the bus stop, or the subtitles on the TV. Reading isn't limited to books alone, and what we want to achieve is greater interest or intrigue, at least. Using threats or intimidating your child isn’t the way to go, and you should try your best to avoid this approach.

#3: Don’t Force or Use Ultimatums

As tempting as it may be to use scare tactics and implement the ‘if you don’t read, then I’ll take away your phone or play station for ‘x’ amount of time' regime, try to avoid this. It can end up doing more damage than good.

You want your teen to genuinely enjoy reading, not only because you’ve made them do so or as a form of punishment. To kickstart this process, you may want to introduce a reading time in their routine. Perhaps after school, after dinner, or in the mornings before school. 

Ultimately, the aim is to embed reading as a part of their routine so that it becomes familiar and consistent over time. If you are the parent of a pre-teen child or younger, we recommend you read through this infographic.

Does it really matter if I get my teenager to read?

Truth is, the answer to this question is like a two-sided coin. Whichever way you flip it, your child only has benefits and advantages to gain from reading in their adolescence. However, these benefits aren't always considered especially since other activities can be more enticing. In 2024, the National Literacy Trust's research on children reading for leisure reveals that 34.6% of children between ages 8-18-year-olds enjoy reading at all 1 in 6).

Our take on this, however, is yes, all children should read. However, we want parents to know and understand that reading spans far beyond knowing how to read. We discuss this in detail in another post, so subscribe to keep updated when we upload!

If any of these tips have been helpful for you, let us know in the comments or send us an email at: hello[at]dreamteamtutoring.com.