Kids Who Hate Reading and Avoiding College Talk for 12/31/2016

Dear Family Coach: My wife and I are constantly encouraging our children, who are 7 and 11 years old, to read anything, but especially chapter books. Our latest strategy is to reward them for finishing a series of books. For example, when my son finished the entire "Harry Potter" series he was rewarded with a Nerf gun. Is this the wrong approach? And if so, how should we try to ease our way out of it? — Bookworm Dad

Dear Dad: Reading is absolutely important to the academic success of your children. But more importantly, reading a good book is one of the truest pleasures available to everyone for free. It certainly makes sense to encourage good reading habits. The problem is that some children struggle to find the joy in reading. Some kids' skills make reading arduous. Other children are over programmed lacking the time to slow down with a good book. And still, other kids just find books to be too boring. The good news is there are many ways to combat all of these issues.

Updated: Sat Dec 31, 2016