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RAR #154: When Your Child Doesn’t Love Reading

by Sarah Mackenzie | May 18, 2020 | Podcast

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:

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