Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 09:07     Subject: Re:How to get a kid interested in reading
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the suggestions. He likes biographies of sports figures, mostly baseball, but he will do soccer stars too. I guess, I just feel these are a bit simplistic, at least the ones he is picking. He also likes the "I Survived" books, once again, only in graphic novel form.

It's not that he won't read anything. He likes the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He's done the Wings of Fire in the graphic novel form. He just flat out refuses to read "chapter books." I just see his friends reading all sorts of complex chapter books and he isn't.

Like I said, he holds it together in school but once out of school he doesn't stop moving. My mom (former elementary school teacher) told me that if he were in her class, she would have let him do his work standing up because he is just a kid that needs to do that. It is very common that kids need to move, especially boys.

I read him the first Percy Jackson over the summer, which he really liked. When I read to him he needed to move around the room. On the occasions where he actually laid down to listen, he fell asleep. We had to go back because he didn't remember what was going on. He told me he liked the book and didn't want to miss anything so he needed to move around.

I was the kid in the corner reading a book and still love reading. I'm just tring to figure out if this is an issue that we need to address, like he is behind academically or if this is a "me" issue and I should just meet him where he is and he will get there eventually. FWIW, my husband and I also recognize that he is a bit immature overall and will, more than likely, be a late bloomer.

Thank you for your feedback and suggestions and for letting me air out my anxiety. Sometimes, I just feel like everyone is doing parenting better than I am.


OP: I was a reader as a kid, my son reads before he goes to bed and that is it. He would prefer to hang out with friends, play his rec sport, or do a math competition then read. Reading is not a preferred activity. He has read graphic novels, comic series, fiction, non-fiction; all of it. He moved into chapter books before bed somewhere in 5th grade. He was capable of them well before then, he just wasn't interested.

He is an 8th grader. He has an A in English, scores advanced on the SOL, and bounces between the 85th and 95th percentile on the iReady. He is at the high level of grade level to ahead in English. He just doesn't find reading a book or a magazine to be his choice activity. He would rather sit on the couch, staring at space.

My DH is not a reader either. Both like to listen to audio books. It is fine for him not to be a reader, he is just different then you. Truth be told, I don't read much for fun any more. I read and write enough at work that I struggle to focus on a book at home. I listen to books during my commute.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 08:53     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Graphic novels fool
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 08:35     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Graphic novels. Non fiction magazines. We have a ton of various magazines. Yes it's a page of text and not chapters but better start somewhere.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 08:32     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Two words: graphic novels


Bad advice. These have hobbled a generation of kids.


I think these are fine to encourage pleasure reading. They are not appropriate for classroom study or for a book report. I make my kids choose a classic for their many book reports, but I am not policing their bedtime reading material.
I say this as someone whose mom was so hands-off that I did book reports on Garfield books throughout elementary school (even though I was reading way more advanced material) because I didn't want to look like a showoff.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 08:26     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Two words: graphic novels


Bad advice. These have hobbled a generation of kids.


Totally disagree. I don’t like them either but if your kid gets to the point where they have a habit of carrying around a book, reading when they have downtime, it does not matter if they built that habit with graphic novels or something else. Your kid has become someone who reads for fun. They will eventually age out or run out of the graphic novels.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 08:24     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Anonymous wrote:I haven't read all the replies yet, but what's helped with my kids is magazine subscriptions.

The kids get excited about new mail just for them and won't put the issues down even at dinner.

National Geographic for Kids, The Week Jr., and Highlights have been hits with our kids


+1. They love getting the mail and they love the new facts. There’s even an online survey each week in The Week Jr that our 11 year old does on her computer now. I will preach this forever but i feel strongly that it does not really matter what your kid is reading as long as they are developing the habit of reading for pleasure.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 08:09     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Anonymous wrote:Two words: graphic novels


Bad advice. These have hobbled a generation of kids.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 07:52     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Two words: graphic novels
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 07:51     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
I haven't read all the replies yet, but what's helped with my kids is magazine subscriptions.

The kids get excited about new mail just for them and won't put the issues down even at dinner.

National Geographic for Kids, The Week Jr., and Highlights have been hits with our kids
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 07:40     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a second grade girl like this. Last year she had one series she loved and since then nothing lives up. We do all the things like library. She does read in school because she finishes things early per the teacher. But at home she will do anything other than read. She builds a lot of things like homes for animals with magnatiles and legos and draws and writes a lot. Her grades are good, but I keep hearing about other kids reading so much. I was a reader at that age. I don’t want her to fall behind. She’s also not a great speller so I wonder if that’s because she doesn’t read enough.

We are trying establishing the habit of reading in bed even if it’s just 5 minute. I’ve been inching bedtime earlier so she has more time before she’s tired. We also try for at least one family reading session every weekend where we talk about what we are reading.

Anyway. Solidarity and hoping for more ideas from this thread.


What was the series she loved in first grade?

Spelling isn’t great because they use their computers to write now. When you had to write down words it involved your brain more and you could remember spelling it.



Ivy & Bean! I even tried something else by the same author but nope. And other books about elementary school girls.


Ivy & Bean books are sooo boring. My second grader liked to share the reading with me and we used voices for the characters. We started an Ivy & Bean and it was all I could do not to “lose” the book so I wouldn’t have to continue reading it.

I know some kids love the books and I get it, just not for me or my daughter.


I think it’s find to force a minimum amount of reading daily. In fact, I think you must if your child isn’t reading at all naturally by 3rd grade.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 06:06     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
I would get him formally screened for ADHD. Mine went undiagnosed until my 30s because I was a studious, compliant kid. I could easily focus on things that interested me, but the amount of energy required to do the same when a subject was boring or difficult was enormous. I was exhausted at the end of every school day.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 01:56     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a second grade girl like this. Last year she had one series she loved and since then nothing lives up. We do all the things like library. She does read in school because she finishes things early per the teacher. But at home she will do anything other than read. She builds a lot of things like homes for animals with magnatiles and legos and draws and writes a lot. Her grades are good, but I keep hearing about other kids reading so much. I was a reader at that age. I don’t want her to fall behind. She’s also not a great speller so I wonder if that’s because she doesn’t read enough.

We are trying establishing the habit of reading in bed even if it’s just 5 minute. I’ve been inching bedtime earlier so she has more time before she’s tired. We also try for at least one family reading session every weekend where we talk about what we are reading.

Anyway. Solidarity and hoping for more ideas from this thread.


What was the series she loved in first grade?

Spelling isn’t great because they use their computers to write now. When you had to write down words it involved your brain more and you could remember spelling it.



Ivy & Bean! I even tried something else by the same author but nope. And other books about elementary school girls.


Ivy & Bean books are sooo boring. My second grader liked to share the reading with me and we used voices for the characters. We started an Ivy & Bean and it was all I could do not to “lose” the book so I wouldn’t have to continue reading it.

I know some kids love the books and I get it, just not for me or my daughter.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 01:45     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Anonymous wrote:I think you have to make it fun. Which means he gets to pick what he likes, even if it has pictures. My kids love graphic novels, and when my oldest was in 3rd grade he read every single Wings of Fire (graphic, chapter, AND audiobooks) and every Calvin & Hobbes and Foxtrot collection repeatedly. Two years later he devours YA and some (appropriate and easier) adult sci fi and fantasy novels.


I agree. A lot of kids don’t like to read outside of school. It has to be enjoyable. The worst thing a parent can do is force boring books on these kids. Calvin & Hobbes, Garfield, Foxtrot are good choices for boys who have a sophisticated humor for their ages and big vocabularies.

There’s a new comic strip called Cul de Sac that’s the same idea. I would bring my 9year old to the book store and he would go straight for the comic section. His reading skills were always 2-3 grades above his. He didn’t read chapter books for fun but his school chose excellent books for the students to read together so that was enough.

He’s got a lot of company, don’t worry.
Anonymous
Post 11/18/2025 19:42     Subject: Re:How to get a kid interested in reading
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the suggestions. He likes biographies of sports figures, mostly baseball, but he will do soccer stars too. I guess, I just feel these are a bit simplistic, at least the ones he is picking. He also likes the "I Survived" books, once again, only in graphic novel form.

It's not that he won't read anything. He likes the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He's done the Wings of Fire in the graphic novel form. He just flat out refuses to read "chapter books." I just see his friends reading all sorts of complex chapter books and he isn't.

Like I said, he holds it together in school but once out of school he doesn't stop moving. My mom (former elementary school teacher) told me that if he were in her class, she would have let him do his work standing up because he is just a kid that needs to do that. It is very common that kids need to move, especially boys.

I read him the first Percy Jackson over the summer, which he really liked. When I read to him he needed to move around the room. On the occasions where he actually laid down to listen, he fell asleep. We had to go back because he didn't remember what was going on. He told me he liked the book and didn't want to miss anything so he needed to move around.

I was the kid in the corner reading a book and still love reading. I'm just tring to figure out if this is an issue that we need to address, like he is behind academically or if this is a "me" issue and I should just meet him where he is and he will get there eventually. FWIW, my husband and I also recognize that he is a bit immature overall and will, more than likely, be a late bloomer.

Thank you for your feedback and suggestions and for letting me air out my anxiety. Sometimes, I just feel like everyone is doing parenting better than I am.


At this age my DS who sounds very similar spent a ton of time listening to full length audio books while building with Legos.
Anonymous
Post 11/18/2025 17:19     Subject: How to get a kid interested in reading
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:One thing we’ve had success with- if they’re in bed by 8pm they can read to 8:30 or 9. We make it a privilege to read. Otherwise they have to go to bed.

I’ve done this too. I let her have a “ later bedtime” but it had to be reading.
Also letting her totally choose what she wants to read too.


And make sure there are no toys or anything too distracting in the bedroom.