Bookstaken pairs kids with caring mentors who turn reading into engaging conversations, inspiring them to eventually write their own stories.
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Most reading routines start with a big promise: thirty minutes, every night, from now on. It lasts three days. Then there's a late evening, a tired child and an argument, and the routine is gone.
Habits don't come from big goals. They come from small things done at the same point in the day, until the day feels wrong without them. Here is how to build one around reading.
In short
Small and daily beats long and occasional. Ten minutes every day builds a habit; an hour on Sundays doesn't.
Tie reading to something that already happens, like brushing teeth or the after-school snack.
Make books easier to reach than screens.
Keep it enjoyable: their choice of book, no quizzes, and being read to counts.
Expect it to take weeks. If the routine slips, pick it up the next day.
Why a daily habit matters
In a classic study of US fifth graders, the children who read the most outside school read about 21 minutes of books a day, roughly 1.8 million words a year. The child in the middle read under five minutes a day, about 282,000 words. Time spent reading books was the strongest link to how much their reading improved (Anderson, Wilson & Fielding, 1988).
The gap between those children wasn't hours. It was a few minutes a day, every day, adding up over years.
Step 1: Start small
Pick an amount so small it's never worth arguing about: ten minutes, or five for a child who resists. Stop while it's still enjoyable, even mid-chapter. Leaving them wanting more is how tomorrow's reading starts.
As the habit settles, let it grow by a few minutes at a time. Many children read past the ten minutes on their own once a story pulls them in.
Step 2: Tie it to something that already happens
Habits need a trigger. Psychologists call this kind of plan an implementation intention, in the form "when X happens, I will do Y", and plans like these make people much more likely to follow through (Gollwitzer, 1999).
"After you brush your teeth, we read."
"When you have your after-school snack, the book comes out."
"Before any screens, ten minutes of reading."
Choose a slot that suits your child. Bedtime is the classic, but a tired child working through hard words late at night may struggle. Try an earlier slot for their own reading, and keep bedtime for reading aloud to them.
Step 3: Make books easy to reach
Children, like adults, do whatever is easiest. If the tablet is on the sofa and the books are on a high shelf upstairs, the tablet wins.
Leave books where your child spends time: by the sofa, at the breakfast table, in the car, next to the bed.
Make screens a little harder to reach: charging in another room, a password on the tablet, the remote in a drawer.
Keep the supply fresh. Regular trips to the library or a book swap with friends mean there's always something new to try.
Step 4: Keep it enjoyable
A habit only lasts if your child doesn't dread it.
Let them choose the book. Comics, joke books and the tenth book in a series all count. Our guide to finding books your child loves can help.
Being read to counts, and so do audiobooks, especially on tiring days.
Talk, don't test. Ask what they thought, not what happened in chapter three.
Never use reading as a punishment, or screens as the prize for reading. Our post on motivating children to read explains why that backfires.
Step 5: Read where they can see you
Children copy what they see. If they see you reading, books become a normal part of family life rather than something only children are told to do.
Try a family reading time: fifteen minutes when everyone, adults included, reads something they enjoy. Talk about what you're reading too, including the books you didn't like.
Step 6: Keep going when it slips
Holidays, exams, illness and late evenings will break the routine. That's normal. In a well-known study of how habits form, missing a single day made little difference; what stopped habits forming was being inconsistent for long stretches (Lally et al., 2010).
When the routine slips, don't restart big. Go back to five minutes at the usual time, and let it grow again.
The same study found that a new daily habit took 66 days on average to feel automatic, with a range from 18 to 254 days. So expect two or three months before reading feels like part of the day.
How long should a child read each day?
There's no official number. Many schools ask for about 20 minutes a day, which is a sensible target for most children aged 6 to 14, but reading every day matters more than reading for long. Our guide to how much a child should read every day suggests minutes by age.
A habit with someone in it
Habits stick more easily when someone else is part of them: a parent who reads alongside, a cousin who swaps books, or a mentor who will ask what happened next.
This is what our 1:1 online reading classes are built around. Every session, your child reads a real book picked for their interests, talks it through with a trained college mentor, gives their own verdict and writes their own story. Between sessions, a short reading quest keeps the book going, and most children finish a book in four to six sessions. For ages 6–14; the first session is free.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build a reading habit?
Usually a few months. In one study, new daily habits took 66 days on average to feel automatic, and anywhere from 18 to 254 days. Missing the odd day doesn't undo the progress.
What's the best time of day to read?
Whatever slot happens every day without a fight. Bedtime works for many families, but if your child is too tired then, try after school or breakfast for their own reading, and keep bedtime for reading aloud.
My child refuses to read at all. Where do I start?
Start with stories rather than reading: read aloud to them, try audiobooks, and let them pick comics or books about their favourite thing. Our guide to why children don't like reading covers what to try next.
Should we use a reading timer or a reading log?
A timer helps some children start, but if they watch the clock, drop it and aim for "to the end of the chapter" instead. If school requires a log, fill it in honestly and keep the reading itself relaxed.
How do we keep reading going during holidays and exams?
Keep the same slot and shrink it. Five minutes of reading still keeps the habit alive. Pack books for trips, and use audiobooks in the car.
My child reads at school. Do they still need to read at home?
Yes. School reading is usually assigned, while reading at home is where children choose books for pleasure, and that is the reading that builds a lasting habit.
