If you have teens in your home, you may look at the approaching summer with a sense of uncertainty. Hopefully you are encouraging them to get a job or work if possible, but aside from that, none of us want to lose our teens in screens during all of their downtime. With the absence of school in the summer, I think finding ways to encourage teens to read in the summer is a great use of their time. It is not assigned and there is no pressure! However, that may also seem like a daunting task, especially if you have a reluctant reader.

While I am by no means a reading expert, I’ve had some experience in helping foster a love for reading with my kids, so here are my best ideas on how to encourage teens to read this summer (or anytime).

Note: Some of these external links may lead to book recommendations that not every family will find appropriate. If you aren’t sure, read a book yourself first or google it to see any potential concerns!

How to Encourage Teens to Read This Summer

Model reading

When people notice my kids love to read, they often ask how we made them love reading. I don’t have a lot of advice for this other than just that we always read to them before they could read and we also modeled reading. Your kids and teens will be interested in what you’re interested in. Talk about the books you’re reading at the dinner table. Let them see you reading instead of scrolling your phone. Show them that it’s a legit way to spend time!

Let them pick books that look good to them (regardless of reading level)

I’ve always loved to read, and when I look back on my reading journey from child to adult, one thing that stands out is that my mom let me read pretty much whatever I wanted to read. She never told me that a book was too hard for me or too easy. There’s certainly a place to limit books that may have adult content or otherwise be inappropriate, but if your 12 year old wants to read Gone With the Wind, let them! Similarly, if your teen has been reluctant to read and is picking short books (or even graphic novels), don’t get too involved. There is room for them to branch out!

Read a book with them

My mom read aloud to me well into middle school when I could have certainly read the books on my own. But I loved drawing or coloring while she read. You can check out this list of best books to read with your teenager, or if you don’t want to read aloud, you could have a book club with your teen.

Pick a book with a good movie adaptation

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