7 months ago
Tips to Encourage Reading for Pleasure
Reading is really good for us, but many people find it hard to enjoy.
Some people didn’t like reading when they were kids, and others find it difficult because of things like dyslexia or ADHD.
There are different ways to make reading more fun, like using audiobooks or joining a book club.
Audiobooks are great because you can listen while doing other things, and they help kids imagine stories in their heads.
Big projects, like the KU Big Read, give free books to students to help them feel connected.
Another group, Reading Force, helps military families read together for fun.
It’s also important to read books that have characters like you, so you feel represented.
Reading should be fun, not a chore, and picking books you like can make a big difference.
Half of UK adults don’t read regularly for pleasure, and more than one in ten find reading difficult.
Only about one in three children and young people aged 8-18 enjoy reading in their free time (2025).
Neurodivergent readers, including those with dyslexia or ADHD, report lower levels of enjoyment and tend to read less frequently.
Audiobooks offer an alternative, engaging young children and allowing physical movement while reading for people with ADHD.
Social reading initiatives, like the KU Big Read project, help build connections and reduce dropout rates in higher education.
- Who
- Adults and children in the UK, neurodivergent readers, military families, and people from diverse backgrounds
- What
- Strategies to encourage reading for pleasure
- Where
- UK, with a focus on Kingston University and military families
- When
- Ongoing, with specific projects like KU Big Read (2015-2024-25) and Reading Force
- Why
- To improve mental health, wellbeing, cultural and educational enrichment, and to make reading a pleasurable activity
Key facts
- Adults in the UK
- Half don’t read regularly for pleasure, more than one in ten find reading difficult
- Children and Young People (8-18)
- Only about one in three enjoy reading in their free time (2025)
- Neurodivergent Readers
- Lower levels of enjoyment and tend to read less frequently
- Audiobooks
- Engage young children effortlessly and allow for physical movement while reading for people with ADHD
- KU Big Read Project
- Launched in 2015, ran until 2024-25, reduced dropout rate in its first year
- Reading Force
- Promotes shared reading to keep military families connected, founded by Alison Baverstock
- Representation in Books
- Feeling represented in stories can build a love for books