My daughter loved books when she was little and we thought she was going to be a really strong reader but it’s totally fallen off. She’s 10 now and isn’t into fantasy at all, which it seems like most of the books for her age are. She still does like to look at magazines though , like Washingtonian ect that we get at our house.

On the flip side, my brother never read anything for pleasure except Calvin and Hobbes comics until he was about 20, then a switch flipped and he's now a big reader in adulthood. People can change.

This happened to me 30 years ago, before screens were a thing. Big reader in early elementary then I lost interest around middle school. So I tend to think it's a somewhat common phase.

Anonymous wrote:Keep them off screens as much as possible and social media entirely through middle school. It’s the only way you don’t lose the war.

+100

I lost one of my kids to screens (all school-issued) and it’s hard to keep fighting. It’s about to become a harder fight, not an easier one.

I think reading habits can change. My husband used to love to read but I haven't seen him with a book in quite some time.

Hopefully but it’s not guaranteed. My kids are now grown. From K-middle school my oldest two absolutely loved to read. As an avid reader, I hoped they would never lose that love. But once they started HS they stopped reading for enjoyment. Same with college. I hope one day they will find their way back to books. I recall that I also went through a period when I didn’t read much but eventually I found my way back to books.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. During Covid, we had an online book club with three kids over Zoom for about 18 months when they were in 4th–5th grade. They read a new book and met with an online tutor/teacher we paid every two weeks to discuss it. They probably read close to 50 books.

Did they benefit? Absolutely. They learned to analyze books, discuss themes, defend opinions, and think critically about what they read. But did they become lifelong kids who voluntarily read constantly after the club ended? Unfortunately, no.

Two of the kids were my twins. They are smart kids, and I wish the habit of reading for pleasure had stuck more, but I don’t regret doing it. Even if the reading volume didn’t continue, the vocabulary, reading comprehension, and ability to analyze material stayed with them.

Could it be it didn’t stick because you took all the fun out of it by doing it this way? Just a thought.

Of course I’m a fool

I was a massive reader growing up and that took a big hit in high school and college. I barely read any books then. I couldn’t. I took 5 APs a year and a tough course load. I still went back to reading after. I will say that I wasn’t ever a big TV watcher. I don’t talk about it because I think I sound dumb, but I can’t pay attention and am bored watching TV.

Anonymous wrote:No. You have to help them keep it up as a habit. I had my kids read at least an hour a day every day in the summers. They could listen to books and follow along with the text if they wanted. I made a reward system for it. Their reading scores went up every year. You have to instill it as a value and habit and do that consistently or it will fade away. It also reinforces reading for pleasure which is a relaxing and yet educational habit to develop in life and it will help them when they have tougher assignments to read in high school. They learn how keep at a task as well as accomplish finishing a book/meeting a goal.

Does it matter what they read? Mine is 9years old and reads way more than an hour a day, but it’s not necessarily the books I would pick for him to read. Right now it’s Hilde Lysiak mysteries, Percy Jackson series, Matt Christopher sport books, and “Weird But True!” Series. I don’t check his comprehension or anything, he just reads and then we check new books out of the library when he’s ready.

DS (23) was a huge reader through 7th grade. Then he stopped reading books for pleasure. He did well in high school and college, has a good job. Maybe he'll come back to it someday.

Anonymous wrote:For my DS, fiction-reading for fun slowed during teen years but returned in college.

Same for our DD. Too busy and too much required reading during those years. But during and post college, her love of leisure reading returned.

I have two teen boys.

The reading for pleasure waned around 4th grade when they ran out of interest in long-running series.

My older one is midway through college and is reading for pleasure again. The younger is a high school junior.

I do think high school classes, particularly APs, suck up all the time they are willing to spend on reading.

My younger also is surrounded by a culture of using AI for everything. But not to get hysterical...I remember a bunch of the brightest boys in my high school Honors English classes were heavy customers of Cliff Notes. Which are basically the analog version of using AI to get through literature classes.

My boys are sucked into video games but that is very important to their hanging out with friends. I didn't allow them to start social media pages when under 16 so they aren't into that.

No. You have to help them keep it up as a habit. I had my kids read at least an hour a day every day in the summers. They could listen to books and follow along with the text if they wanted. I made a reward system for it. Their reading scores went up every year. You have to instill it as a value and habit and do that consistently or it will fade away. It also reinforces reading for pleasure which is a relaxing and yet educational habit to develop in life and it will help them when they have tougher assignments to read in high school. They learn how keep at a task as well as accomplish finishing a book/meeting a goal.

Not really. We did not allow electronics and limited TV through middle school. All DC were very good readers, especially at night before bed. Our oldest (boy) rarely reads anymore. Our middle daughter will read on vacations (maybe). Our youngest, who is dyslexic, never read much as a child. It was in mentally a lot of work for her. She is currently my most avid reader.

As A mom of grown kids....they will get back to it when they are not reading for school and have more control of their time.