March is National Reading Month, the perfect time to transform your tween from a reluctant reader into a book-loving adventurer. But how do you compete with screen time, busy schedules, and the dreaded "I don’t like reading"? The secret is making books feel like an adventure—not a chore.

By creating interactive, exciting, and personalized reading experiences, you can show them that books are more than just words on a page—they’re adventures waiting to be explored. But we get it—sometimes, convincing a tween to pick up a book can feel like convincing a cat to take a bath (nearly impossible, slightly dangerous). That’s where we come in!

At Once Upon a Book Club, we believe books should come to life. From immersive experiences to interactive reading strategies, here are fun, practical ways to encourage your tween to fall in love with reading this National Reading Month!

Create a Reading-Friendly Environment

Turn Your Home into a Literary Wonderland

Design a Cozy Reading Nook:

When it comes to the ultimate tween reading tips, nothing beats a comfy, inviting space to curl up with a good book. Create a reading nook filled with:

• Fairy lights for a magical glow

• Plush pillows for extra coziness

• Themed décor that matches their favorite books

✨ Pro Tip: Let your tween decorate their own reading space! If they love fantasy, add a dragon plushy; if they’re into mysteries, throw in a magnifying glass. When kids have ownership of their space, they’re more likely to use it!

Build a Diverse Bookshelf:

Tweens’ reading preferences can change faster than a TikTok trend. If you’re looking for tween reading tips, we recommend keeping things fresh by offering a mix of genres like:

• Fantasy

• Mystery

• Science fiction

• Graphic Novels

💡 Encourage Tween Reading: Need help with kid’s book recommendations? Our Once Upon a Book Club Tween Book Boxes take the guesswork out! Each box features an exciting book plus surprise gifts that bring the story to life.

 

Make Reading Interactive with Themed Experiences

Bring Stories to Life

Unbox the Magic:

Imagine your tween unwrapping a mysterious gift at a key moment in their book—a magic necklace, a detective’s notebook, or a mysterious map. That’s exactly what our Tween Subscription Boxes do, they bring stories to life! 

Every box includes:

📚 A handpicked book

🎁 3-5 wrapped gifts (opened at specific page numbers!)

✨ Extras like a bookmark, themed quote print and a coloring/activity sheet!

It’s like a reading adventure in a box! A OUABC book subscription box for kids is the ultimate interactive reading experience!

Host a Book-Themed Party:

Who doesn’t love a party, and book-themed parties are simply the best. You can easily turn reading into a social event with a Book Character Day or a Reading Trivia Night:

🎭 Dress up as book characters from their latest read

🔍 Create DIY detective kits for mystery books

🧙 Make wands or potions for fantasy stories

🔹 Interactive Reading for Tweens: Combining books with hands-on activities builds excitement and engagement!

 

Gamify Reading Habits

Make reading feel like a game instead of homework. By adding fun reading challenges for tweens, progress tracking, and exciting rewards, you can motivate kids to read in a way that feels exciting and interactive.

Turn Pages into Adventures

Reading Challenges with Rewards:

A great way to motivate kids to read is to gamify reading habits. Create a Reading Bingo challenge with fun prompts like:

✅ Read outdoors

✅ Finish a book in a week

✅ Read a story about an alien

✅ Read a story with an orange cover

🏆 Reward idea: Rewards are always a great incentive, and a family movie night featuring a book adaptation is a wonderful way to celebrate their achievement and create new memories while having a whole lot of fun!

Track Progress Visually:

We all love visual rewards. There is something so satisfying about standing back and proudly looking at how much you have achieved. You can create a Reading Journey Map, where your tween can:

• Add stickers for completed chapters

• Draw fun milestones (e.g., Read 3 books = New book reward!)

• Set personal goals (Read a book over 300 pages)

• Read everyday for 15 minutes

Reading challenges for tweens are a great way to inspire them to start reading and motivate them to keep on reading!

 

Lead by Example

Be Their Reading Role Model

Want to raise a reader? Show them how it’s done! Tweens often see reading as just another school assignment, but it’s time to flip the script and remind them that books are pure magic. The best way? Let them catch you in the act—curled up with a book, laughing at a story, or totally lost in a different world. When they see you loving books, they’ll be curious to join in.

Family Reading Time:

Let’s be real—life is busy. But making time for family reading can be the perfect way to wind down, switch off from screens, and just be together. No pressure, no rules—just everyone enjoying their own book in the same cozy space.

📚 Try a 30-minute daily family reading session—whether it’s before bed, after dinner, or a lazy Sunday afternoon.

📚 Share what you're reading at dinner! Talking about books can spark interesting conversations and make reading a shared experience.

Share Your Childhood Favorites:

Remember the books you couldn’t put down as a kid? Share them! Introduce your tween to the classics that made you laugh, cry, or stay up way past bedtime. Better yet, read them together and make a whole event out of it—watch the movie adaptations, debate the differences, and swap opinions like a real book club.

Ask fun questions to get the conversation rolling:

📖 What was your favorite part of the book?

🎬 Did the movie match up, or was the book better?

📚 If you could rewrite the ending, what would you change?

Before you know it, reading won’t just be something they have to do—it’ll be something they want to do. And that’s the best kind of bookish magic! ✨

Connect Reading to Their World

Books Aren’t Just Stories—They’re Life Lessons

Books do more than entertain—they help tweens navigate life. Whether they’re dealing with friendship drama, figuring out who they are, or dreaming of epic adventures, the right story can be like a roadmap through it all. Finding books that mirror their experiences can make all the difference!

Choose Relatable Themes:

Tweens want to see themselves in the stories they read. The right book can validate their feelings, give them new perspectives, and maybe even offer a little guidance.

💡 Struggles with friendship? Wonder by R.J. Palacio

💡 Discovering identity? The Giver by Lois Lowry

💡 Bravery & adventure? The Circus at the End of the Sea by Lori R. Snyder

Pair Books with Real-Life Activities:

Why just read about an adventure when you can live one? Pairing books with hands-on experiences helps bring stories to life and keeps tweens engaged long after they turn the last page.

🚀 Loved a sci-fi novel? Take a trip to a planetarium.

⛺ Read a survival story? Plan a camping trip and put those skills to the test!

🏰 Finished a magical fantasy? Visit a medieval fair and step into another world.

Books aren’t just words on a page—they’re experiences waiting to happen. Give your tween stories that inspire, challenge, and spark real-world fun!

 

Overcome Common Roadblocks

What If My Tween Still Resists?

So, your tween is still pushing back on reading? Don’t worry—you’re not alone! Sometimes, it’s not that they dislike books, they just need the right approach. Here’s how to turn resistance into enthusiasm (without the battles).

Address Screen Time:

If screens are the competition, why not use them to your advantage? Reading doesn’t have to mean flipping through a physical book—there are plenty of creative ways to get them engaged.

📱 Audiobooks are game-changers—perfect for car rides, bedtime, or chilling on the couch.

📱 E-readers count too! If they love screens, let them read digitally. It’s still reading!

📱 Graphic novels and manga? Absolutely! They build literacy skills and keep tweens hooked.

Let Them Choose:

One of the biggest mistakes we make? Telling tweens what to read. Instead, give them total freedom—because when they choose, they’re more likely to stick with it!

✔️ A comic book? Absolutely.

✔️ A celebrity biography? Why not?

✔️ A book filled with dragons and epic battles? Bring it on!

💡 The key to raising a reader? Let them read what they love—no matter what it is. When they feel in control, they’ll turn those pages willingly (and maybe even ask for more).

 

Conclusion

This National Reading Month, let’s turn the page on boredom! Explore Once Upon a Book Club’s Tween Boxes to ignite your child’s imagination—each story comes alive with surprises that make reading an adventure.

Whether it’s through cozy reading spaces, engaging book boxes, or themed experiences, these small changes can spark a lifelong love of stories.

📦 Ready to bring books to life? Check out our Once Upon a Book Club Tween Book Boxes—where stories come with surprises, and every page is an adventure!

👉 Explore our latest Tween Subscription Boxes.

💬 Join the conversation! Share your tween’s favorite books or reading success stories with #OnceUponABookClub on social media!

✨ Remember: The goal isn’t to force reading—it’s to show tweens that books are magical portals to endless possibilities. Happy reading!

If you enjoyed reading this blog, we think you will love our blog on Tween Reading Challenges for 2025: Fun Ways to Encourage Young Readers.