"I hate reading." If you've heard that at your house, you're in good company. It's one of the most common things parents tell me, and it's one of the hardest to hear, because you know how much reading matters.
Here's the encouraging part: most kids who say they hate reading don't actually hate reading. They hate what reading has come to mean for them. Maybe it means a timer and a reading log. Maybe it means being corrected in front of someone. Maybe it means a book that's too hard, or one they'd never choose.
So the goal isn't to make them read more. It's to change what reading feels like.
1. Stop calling it "reading time"
For a reluctant reader, "reading time" is a cue to dig in their heels. Instead, let reading happen inside things they already care about: the instructions for a new game, a recipe for pancakes, the back of a trading card, a sign on a hike. It all counts.
2. Let them choose, even if you don't love the choice
Comics, graphic novels, joke books, Minecraft guides, sports stats, animal fact books: these are real reading. When kids pick what they read, they read longer and with more effort. You can always add "your pick" books alongside what school assigns.
3. Give reading a job
Kids read willingly when reading gets them something: they read the recipe so they can bake cookies, the rules so they can win the game, the map so they can find the treasure. A purpose turns reading from a chore into a tool.
4. Take the pressure off out loud
Try saying, "No reading log tonight. Just tell me one cool thing you found." Pressure shrinks a child's willingness to try. Curiosity grows it.
5. Read to them (yes, still)
Reading aloud to an older child isn't babying them. It builds vocabulary, shows them books are worth the effort, and gives them access to stories they can't read on their own yet. Pick something exciting and stop at a cliffhanger.
6. Let them be the expert
When kids teach someone else what they learned (a sibling, a grandparent, you), they own it. Ask them to explain how a game works or teach you three facts about sharks. They'll often go back and read more just to get it right.
7. Watch for a skill problem hiding underneath
Sometimes "I hate reading" really means "reading is hard for me." If your child guesses at words, reads very slowly, or avoids reading out loud, the struggle might be about skill, not motivation. Kids avoid things that make them feel bad at something. (This post explains how to tell: skill vs. motivation.)
A 5-day way to start
I built my free 5-Day Reading Discovery Challenge around exactly these ideas. Over five days, your child explores, builds, creates, and teaches, and reading happens along the way because the activity needs it. No timers, no reading logs, no assigned books. By day 5, you'll know what your kid actually wants to read about, and whether the struggle is skill or motivation.
Talk soon,
Candace
