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:

1:13Simple steps to raise voracious readers
3:01Question: What if my kids are intimidated by text-heavy books?
6:11Reading with the ear
9:16Why we want our kids to love reading
12:17 Some books are … boring
14:09Finding the right jelly bean
15:46When one child loves to read and their sibling doesn’t
18:07Not just for school
21:17Free, voluntary reading
24:11Schedule time, not titles
27:04Reading below reading level
28:46The Book Whisperer’s advice
33:16Let 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

Books from this episode:

Some links are affiliate links.

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
Raising Kids Who Read: What Parents and Teachers Can Do
A Tale of Two Cities
Stuart Little
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling
The Boxcar Children Mysteries
The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child
Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics)
The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children, No. 1) (The Boxcar Children Mysteries)
Emma
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel
My Man Jeeves
The Power of Reading
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood

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