Why aren't my kids reading?

Four reasons why readers may have shut down, plus a few ideas to address it

My son finally restarted reading his book Cinder by Marissa Meyer. In an empty compost bin.

I’m not kidding.

My son avoiding reading is uncommon. Prior to the pandemic, he was a sneak reader. For example, books were smuggled in during dinner and read with stealth under the table. It was such a “problem” last year that his teacher created a table space for him in the classroom where he had to leave his books so he could better attend to instruction.

Since going to remote learning, he hasn’t finished one book on his own.

If he’s not reading, I imagine many are in the same boat, including adults. Why is this?

1. The Stress of the Situation

Living in lockdown is having an impact on us mentally, including our attention. Our minds are constantly drawn to the situation, which makes it harder to focus on a book. This is one reason why kids who experience trauma due to social, emotional, and/or financial situations often struggle in school: they are too often worried about the realities of everyday life to dig into a story.

2. Our Routines are Off

When schools were shuttered, the routines didn’t follow kids home. My son has even commented on this: “I can’t read at home. At school, everyone was quiet during reading time.” Schools provide structure for our learning. As much as one might decry the arbitrariness or fragmentation of schedules, they do offer structures that people can rely on to prepare for and transition to tasks like reading. We are trying to adapt to a world that is less structured. Kids often don’t yet have the tools to manage their days.

3. Homes Aren’t Excellent Learning Environments

Imagine this situation as you try to read: One family member is cleaning the dishes, another is done with virtual school work and is now playing Nintendo Switch, and a third is chasing the cat. How’s reading working out for you?

We are fortunate that we have several rooms and pocket doors in our old, two story home, yet we still struggle to find a quiet space. Couple this with everyone’s not-so-endearing idiosyncrasies after two months of safer-at-home.

4. Lack of Educational Access

Even if schools sent home books with each child before sheltering in place, most students still don’t have access to the one thing they need as much as great book: a great teacher. Zoom meetings and learning managements systems can help connect kids with faculty, but it is clearly not the same.

This situation, of teaching and learning from a distance, is beyond our control. Yet it is not beyond our ability to think creatively, to reconsider what we are teaching and how we are choosing to engage readers. Next are a couple of ideas to consider.

Talk About It

I recently had a conversation with a friend in which I shared that my son wasn’t reading a lot right now. “Neither am I,” she confided. I was surprised to hear that, as she is an expert reader. It also was affirming to know that I wasn’t failing as a parent.

We can share our own struggles with our students (or faculty, if a principal) during a video conference meeting. We might ask “Can anyone relate?”, and follow up with how we are dealing with this, such as reading lighter fare and rereading favorite books.

Teach How to Learn

As we share our struggles, we can also convey how we have recreated processes and routines at home. For example, I have moved my office into the laundry room. Students need models for learning, and now is an excellent time for this guidance.

Sharing visuals of how we are learning in spite of everything also gives learners a window into our worlds. We endear ourselves to and bond with our students when we offer up some of the personal aspects of our lives.

Keep Instruction Simple

Making instruction clear is a gift we give to our students or staff.

This means reducing or even eliminating the current curriculum. Our school went to no more than two hours of expected learning time. By paring down instruction, we hoped that our students would be more engaged with the time we had with them.

For instance, instead of whole class novel studies plus assigning essays, consider the reading-writing connection. As an example, read aloud favorite poems followed up with shared poetry writing, all via video conferencing. (Check out Regie Routman’s video series for an excellent example.)

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“Can we keep driving? I was just getting into my book.” We had gotten back from the next town over to grab some groceries, and to simply get out. The solitude found in the backseat was not expected. Yet little is surprising in these times. I happily obliged. We will accept any routine or context if it means the kids will continue to read.

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