My Child Hates Reading: What Actually Helps

If your child says they hate reading, you are far from alone. In the National Literacy Trust's 2023 survey of more than 71,000 children and young people in the UK, just 43.4% of 8- to 18-year-olds said they enjoyed reading in their free time, the lowest level since the charity started asking in 2005.

The good news: reluctance usually has a cause you can work on. Below is a practical plan, drawn mainly from literacy researcher Genevieve McArthur's advice for parents.

Step 1: Work out why your child dislikes reading

McArthur lists several common reasons children say they hate reading. They may feel they aren't as good at it as other children in class, which can make them worried or even afraid to read, especially in front of others, so they avoid it. Or they read fine but have other interests, or can't see the point.

• Listen to what your child says about reading. Do they call themselves "bad" at it?
• Notice avoidance. Does reading make them anxious or switched off?
• Ask their teacher where your child sits in the class for reading, and whether they avoid it at school too.

Step 2: What to try at home

• Follow their interests. Help them find books or articles on topics they genuinely care about, and let them choose.
• Give reading a goal that means something to them: finishing a series, or learning how to fix a bike.
• Protect their confidence. Avoid showing disappointment if progress is slow, and take an interest in what they're learning.
• Get the difficulty right. Too easy is boring and too hard is demoralising. If a book is too hard, offer to read every second page together.

Reluctant readers by age

• Ages 3 to 5: keep it short and shared. Read aloud, let them turn pages, and point at words as you go.
• Ages 6 to 8: this is when decoding is hard work. Short books, read-aloud support for tricky words, and lots of praise for effort.
• Ages 9 to 12: choice matters most. Comics, series, facts about their hobby: all of it is reading.
• Ages 13 to 15: respect their taste. Graphic novels, sports writing, game lore and audiobooks alongside the text all build the habit.

Where Time-2-Read can help

Time-2-Read writes a brand-new story around what your child is into (dinosaurs, football, space, horses), with your child as the main character and an illustration on every page. You set the reading level, so the story is neither too easy nor too hard. Tap any word to hear it read aloud, or use phonics help to sound it out, so a hard word doesn't end the session. A 20-minute timer makes the goal clear and finite.

It's screen time, and we won't pretend otherwise. The point is that it's the 20 minutes of screen time that's actually reading.

When to ask for more help

If you suspect your child is struggling rather than just uninterested, talk to their teacher first. If you see a reading specialist, McArthur suggests asking whether they will assess your child's confidence, engagement and feelings about reading as well as their skills, and whether they will recommend next steps, not just give you a score.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Genevieve McArthur (2024), "What can you do if your child hates reading?", The Conversation
• National Literacy Trust (2023), "Children and young people's reading in 2023"