Reading is often talked about as a skill to be mastered. Phonics. Fluency. Comprehension. Accuracy. Inference. And those things matter. Without the foundational skills, reading can feel hard, frustrating or out of reach for many children. And if children never reach the point where reading feels manageable, it becomes very difficult for them to fall in love with it.
What’s more, children who don’t read often don’t magically become adults who do. Reading habits - or the absence of them - tend to follow us through life. If reading never becomes enjoyable, comforting or meaningful early on, it is far less likely to reappear later. And just under half of UK adults say they aren’t readers according to State of the Nation Report by The Reading Agency.
But reading is not only a skill.
It’s a habit. A relationship. A source of pleasure, comfort and meaning.
LoveReading4Kids and the National Year of Reading recognises this tension - the balance between the skills to read and the will to read - and why both are essential if we want reading to flourish and last beyond the classroom.
The love of reading starts long before children can read
A lifelong relationship with books doesn’t begin with decoding words on a page. It begins much earlier.
Being read to as a baby or toddler, sharing picture books, hearing stories at bedtime, talking about images, characters and ideas. This matters. These experiences forge an emotional connection with books long before children can read independently. They teach children that books are safe, comforting, interesting and worth returning to.
Picture books and wordless picture books play a crucial role here. They invite children to interpret, imagine and narrate in their own words, building language, confidence and storytelling skills without pressure. Help them fall in love with words. With illustrations. With storytelling. Book talk: asking questions, wondering aloud, sharing opinions - shows children that stories are something to explore together, not something to “get right”.
Bedtime stories, especially, create a powerful association between reading and closeness, calm and care. These early moments lay the groundwork for everything that follows. They build the will to read before the skill is even required.
Skills open the door - but will keeps it open
Children need to be taught how to read well. That foundation matters. Without it, books can become barriers rather than bridges.
But the moment a child can read is not the same as the moment they want to read.
If reading is only ever framed as something to be assessed. Corrected. Improved. The joy will disappear. The joy can drain away. Children who struggle may feel exposed or inadequate; confident readers may stop reading once the incentive disappears. In both cases, the habit can fall away.
The will to read grows when reading feels rewarding. When it offers escape. Recognition. Laughter. Joy. Challenge. Calm. Contentment. That’s why reading for pleasure is not a distraction from literacy, it’s a reinforcement of it.
Reading is reading
A lifelong reading habit doesn’t come from policing formats or judging tastes. It doesn’t come from being told what to read. Where to read. When to read. How to read. All reading counts.
Graphic novels count. Comics count. Short stories count. Quick reads count. Poetry counts. Non-fiction counts. Audiobooks count.
What matters is engagement. Engaging with books. Physical books. eBooks. Audiobooks. The act of choosing to read, returning to it, finding a book that resonates. And that book leading to your next one. For many children, especially those who are reluctant readers, less confident readers or readers with challenges like dyslexia, these formats can be the gateway rather than the endpoint.
Disparaging a child’s reading choices - however well-intentioned - risks slamming the door just as it’s starting to prise open. The message should always be: if you’re reading, it counts.
Why everyone should read children’s books
Reading as a lifelong skill isn’t just about kids.
Children’s books - picture books, middle-grade fiction, poetry, graphic novels - display some of the most powerful storytelling there is. They explore big ideas with clarity, empathy and imagination. They are often the easiest way back into reading for adults who have lost the habit. Busy adults, tired adults, adults who think reading isn’t for them.
When adults read children’s books, they:
- Model reading as enjoyable, not performative
- Share stories and language with children
- Reconnect with the joy and simplicity of reading
Reading children’s books isn’t a step down. It’s a step forward. A step towards reading. At any age. And we need to celebrate that.
From learning to read, to reading to learn - and beyond
Reading as a lifelong skill means supporting children through different stages:
- Being read to and talking about books
- Learning to decode and understand text
- Discovering books they enjoy
- Developing reading stamina and confidence
- Using reading to explore interests, identity and the wider world
Each stage needs different support, different books and different encouragement. And it needs adults - at home and in school - who value reading in all its forms. Adults to model reading. Adults to encourage reading. And it needs their peers to share stories with. To share books with. To normalise reading. To share the joy of reading.
How LoveReading supports reading for life
Across LoveReading, LoveReading4Kids and LoveReading4Schools, our focus is on helping readers move from ability to agency.
We support early reading experiences through:
- Celebrating picture books and visual storytelling
- Promoting shared reading and book talk
- Championing reading aloud at home and in school
And we support developing readers by:
- Valuing all formats and genres
- Curating interest-led recommendations
- Helping schools build reading-for-pleasure cultures alongside skills development
By helping children and adults find books they want to read - at every stage - we support the development of reading as a habit that lasts long after formal teaching ends.
The long view
Reading as a lifelong skill isn’t about producing perfect readers by a certain age. It’s about giving children the tools, confidence and permission to keep reading. Reading in ways that work for them. Forever.
The Year of Reading reminds us that literacy is not a finish line. It’s a journey. One that thrives on encouragement, access and joy.
If we can nurture a love of books before children can even read - and support both the skill and the will as they grow - we don’t just create better readers.
We create lifelong ones.
Every book can make a difference.
Shop with LoveReading and LoveReading4Kids and turn everyday book buying into support for schools.
More in the Year of Reading series:
Access and Equity: Why Not Every Child Starts With the Same Books
Family, Community & Place: Why Reading Thrives When We Do It Together
Partnership & Collective Action: Why Reading Needs All of Us
Voice, Agency & Representation: Why Stories Shape Who We Become
Diverse Formats & Modern Reading: Valuing Every Route Into Reading
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