We know that we want our kids to love to read. And it’s important (really important!) to give them the best chance fall in love with books. That’s why so many of us get worried when we have a child who doesn’t love reading. It’s a valid worry.
What can be done about it?
On today’s episode of the podcast, I share ideas for what to do when your child doesn’t love reading. We can’t exactly make our kids into readers, but we can give them the best chance possible that they’ll become readers for life. And it’s a lot of fun to do so!
In this episode of the podcast, I’m sharing simple tips to help your kids become voracious readers, and why the single most important part of your child’s school day is free, voluntary reading.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- Why free, voluntary reading is the power player in your child’s reading life
- Thoughts from experts in the field on building lifelong readers
- How to help our kids choose books they’ll love
I also answer a listener question about what to do if your child is intimidated by lots of words on the page.
Click the play button below to start listening:
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Listener Guide:
| 1:13 | Simple steps to raise voracious readers |
| 3:01 | Question: What if my kids are intimidated by text-heavy books? |
| 6:11 | Reading with the ear |
| 9:16 | Why we want our kids to love reading |
| 12:17 | Some books are … boring |
| 14:09 | Finding the right jelly bean |
| 15:46 | When one child loves to read and their sibling doesn’t |
| 18:07 | Not just for school |
| 21:17 | Free, voluntary reading |
| 24:11 | Schedule time, not titles |
| 27:04 | Reading below reading level |
| 28:46 | The Book Whisperer’s advice |
| 33:16 | Let the Kids Speak |
Quotes to remember:
“No single literacy activity has a more positive effect on comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, writing ability, or overall academic achievement than free voluntary reading.”
Stephen D. Krashen, The Power of Reading
“My credibility with students and the reason they trust me when I recommend books to them stems from the fact that I read every day of my life and that I talk about reading constantly. I am not mandating an activity for them to do that I’m not doing myself. I do not promote reading to my students because it is good for them or because it is required for school success. I advocate reading because it is enjoyable and enriching.”
Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer
Links from this episode:
- RAR Premium
- WOW – Writers on Writing
- Miranda Paul
- Maryrose Wood
- RAR #59: Books to Make the Whole Family Howl, Maryrose Wood
- RAR #137: Why Your Kids Love Graphic Novels (and which we like best)
- Kindle Paperwhite
- RAR #43: Raising Kids Who Read, Daniel Willingham
- For the QUIZ, next QUIZ to 33777
- RAR #64: Helping Resistant Readers Fall in Love with Books, Laura Martin
- RAR #141: Why Re-Reading is Possibly the Best Reading
- RAR #145: The Importance of Reading at Whim and Developing Your Own Taste, Alan Jacobs
Books from this episode:
