The Right Way to Bribe Your Kids to Read (Hint: No Rewards Required)
Thinking about bribing your child so he or she will read more?
You’re not alone. As parents, it’s common to understand the importance of reading, but also grapple with “the right way” to instill a life-long love for literature in our kids.
I recently came across an article on The New York Times by KJ Dell’Antonia about how parents get their kids to read more. There are some interesting insights and I have a couple of things to add.
Here’s the gist of the New York Times article: although countless studies show that bribing kids with external rewards over the long term is counter-productive, non-material rewards could be effective at getting kids to read more over the short-term.
You can read the full article here.
But what if rewards don’t have to enter the picture at all?
My experience as a parent, educator, and performer has taught me that you can get kids to read more without bribing them.
Every summer, I perform a magic show at libraries that generates enthusiasm and increases participation in reading. This year’s summer reading theme was Get in the Game: Ready…Set…Read!
After each magic show, the kids would race to check out books. To the astonishment of parents and librarians, books were literally flying off the shelves!
Now there are countless strategies for instilling a love for literature in kids, and the “right way” will probably be different for different children, classrooms, households, and communities…
…but these 4 questions can help you begin to create a personalized strategy:
- What is one thing I can do today to model a love for literature?
- How can I differentiate the ways in which my child takes ownership over the material? (you could talk about it, act it out, visit a museum, meet the author, etc.)
- How can I encourage autonomy when it comes to picking reading material?
- How can I help my child make a connection to reading and a greater sense of purpose in life?
These questions are jumping off points. The answers will point you to ways in which you can instill a life-long love for literature and get your kids to read more.
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