We all know "reading is fundamental," but there are good ways to encourage kids to read...and ones that suck the pleasure out of reading for them.


Slate points out that some parents' requirements for kids to read in order to earn TV or game time are "the intellectual equivalent of the spinach you have to eat in order to get dessert." Reading becomes a chore—a responsibility no one wants to do but must in order to get a real reward.

In short, the motivation for reading shouldn't be something else the kids enjoy, but the reading itself. You can encourage this by finding books that appeal to kids, demonstrating a love of reading yourself, and filling your home with books. I mean, it's not like you can sneak books into their smoothies like you can with broccoli.


This is the absolute worst way to teach your kids to read | Salon

Photo by Quinn Dombrowski.