How to Excite Kids to Read for Pleasure

 This week’s article summary is 5 Proven ways to Get Students to Read More for Fun.

As we all know, we live in a society that has elevated instant gratification: fast food, internet always at our fingertips, overnight Amazon deliveries, and entertainment available on demand. 

Is it any wonder that reading for pleasure has steadily declined over the past years?

Reading for pleasure is, in many ways, the opposite of our fast-paced culture. Reading requires the patience to let plots and character development slowly unfold, a multi-day if not week time commitment to work through a 400-page book, and the ability to sit quietly and focus on one thing.

There are, however, some encouraging signs. While the Barnes & Noble near Trinity recently closed—soon to be replaced by a RaceTrac gas station—the company is planning to open many new bookstores across the country, suggesting America’s appetite for books may be making a comeback.

The article below offers several practical strategies for helping students discover the joy of reading for pleasure.

And what better time to cultivate that joy than during the elementary years, when lifelong habits, interests, and attitudes are taking shape? Whether students are reading a traditional book, an e-book, or listening to an audiobook, our goal should be to help them discover and cultivate the pleasure of a good story.

I’ll admit that even my own reading habits have been altered by our fast-paced culture. I easily get distracted from long, descriptive paragraphs. I often give up on a book that doesn’t capture my attention and interest in its first 50 pages. Yet, still, some of my greatest insights into human nature, different perspectives, and the diverse, complex world have come from books.

In a culture that increasingly values speed, convenience, and instant gratification, perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give our students is an appreciation for slowing down, getting lost in a book, and discovering the simple joy of reading.

Joe

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The statistics on pleasure reading among children and teens are sobering.

Just 34% of 8- to 12-year-olds and 21% of teens read daily for pleasure, according to a report by Common Sense Media. That includes print and e-books, as well as news and magazine articles.

Watching online videos and using social media pose stiff competition. Most teens engage in both daily, and the majority of kids ages 8 to 12 report watching online videos every day.

Teachers can’t oversee students’ media usage outside the classroom. But they can make concerted efforts to ensure that students get the opportunity to read for pleasure on a routine basis.

Here are five proven strategies to encourage students to read for fun:

Protect independent reading time during instructional periods: Most teachers agree that this strategy is a no-brainer. Implementing it is another matter. In a recent report by the International Literacy Association that surveyed literacy educators, the majority of respondents agreed that students should read independently for at least 20 minutes a day. But only 33% said they’re able to allot that amount of time in class, largely due to instructional constraints. Teachers who do routinely set aside time for daily independent reading say they often have to get creative in order to protect it, sometimes squeezing it in during transitions, or between other aspects of literacy instruction. Those who make the effort say it’s worth it. “We know kids have to have that independent reading time to be able to fall in love with books and be able to explore new content, new authors, new things, and really get lost in their stories,” said Eileen McGaughey, an educational technology specialist in Clayton, Mo.

Prioritize read-alouds: Listening to an expert reader tell compelling stories using a lively voice is one of the most effective ways to enrich an emerging reader’s literacy skills. “I would argue that, of all components of reading, read-alouds have one of the longest-standing research bases. There’s a lot of data showing the power of read-alouds,” Molly Ness, a former teacher, and founder of the educational consulting firm Dirigo Literacy. In addition to increasing students’ vocabulary and background knowledge, read-alouds also help boost comprehension and make students more likely to want to read, explained Ness, who refers to these positive effects as “an upward spiral of a literary trajectory.” An Education week study found 62% of PreK-3rd Grade teachers said have read-alouds for 15 to 30 minutes a day.

Start a student book club: This is a popular idea among literacy teachers that, again, may require some creative planning to schedule. But those who’ve successfully launched book clubs laude their success. Christina Torres, an 8th grade English teacher, piloted a book club with her students. She gave her students the choice of five pre-selected books, each of which met curriculum goals. Then she assigned students who chose the same book to small groups, and provided the groups opportunities to discuss the books. Torres said that the discussions were “loud, full of laughter, and a little chaotic—everything I hoped I would see as they shared the experience of reading a good book together.”

Host reading competitions: Some students need a push to start reading for pleasure. Group-oriented competitions can provide that motivation, say teachers. An Education Week survey of K-12 teachers revealed that more than 80% agreed that competition motivated their students to some degree. Henry Melcher, head of the middle school at Boys’ Latin School of Maryland,, told Education Week in 2025 that his faculty has found group competition effective at motivating students for many reasons—including getting them to read more for pleasure. Melcher said teachers focus on group rather than individual competitions to avoid singling out students. Group competitions help build camaraderie within teams—usually, advisories of 10 or so students. “It’s not how many incentives one student can accrue,” Melcher said. “It’s by student advisory, so each member of advisory is playing a role.”

Promote audiobooks as a viable option: Audiobooks have long been seen as a “lesser” activity to reading written words; some even consider it cheating. But that’s changing, as a growing number of educators start to see audiobooks as an accessible way to get students to engage in books—for school or for fun. This shift in attitude likely is welcome news to many students—such as those who struggle to read fluently; those who may be daunted by long, complex texts; and those who are strapped for time and may be more likely to listen rather than read a book on a commute to school or extracurricular activities. Joel Garza, a 9th grade English teacher in Addison, Texas, long resisted assigning audiobooks as an option for his students. Two years ago, he changed his mind, deciding that it was more important to expose his students to classics in a format they were likely to consume than not at all. He now assigns an audio adaptation of The Odyssey . Teachers reluctant to turn to audiobooks may be persuaded by the results of a recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, in which researchers, using advanced imaging techniques, found that listening to and reading words stimulated the same cognitive and emotional areas of the brain.

 

 

Restoring Childhood

This week’s summary is an episode of the Lifelong Kindergarten podcast, featuring an interview with developmental psychologist Peter Gray about factors beyond technology that may be contributing to rising levels of anxiety, stress, and depression among young people. (Thanks to Melissa Scott for sharing this podcast with me!)

Using his new book Restoring Childhood (which I’m currently reading) as a reference, Gray challenges the idea that smartphones and social media alone explain today’s youth mental health concerns. While books such as The Anxious Generation and The Digital Delusion place the blame on technology, Gray argues that other significant changes in childhood have been developing for decades.

Atop the list is the decline of unstructured, self-directed play. Since the mid-1950s, increased adult supervision and the growth of structured activities and organized sports have steadily reduced the amount of time children spend playing independently. Gray points out that free play is essential because it gives children opportunities to solve problems, navigate disagreements, take risks, make decisions, and develop resilience and emotional regulation—without an adult immediately stepping in to adjudicate.

Gray also connects the increase in adolescent anxiety beginning around 2010 with changes in education, including increased standardized testing, heightened academic pressure and expectations, and, as a result, reduced recess.

His recommendations to restore childhood are for both parents and educators. For parents, he encourages reducing achievement pressure and making sure children know they are valued for who they are—not simply for what they accomplish in academics and extracurriculars. He also advocates for giving children more time and space away from adult-directed activities.

For teachers, Gray emphasizes creating opportunities for self-directed learning and meaningful student voice and choice. When children have appropriate agency in their learning, they have opportunities to develop intrinsic curiosity, autonomy, and personal and social responsibility.

As we have all experienced, the pendulum regarding technology has shifted dramatically over the past few years. It is important—especially for elementary-aged children—for teachers to be thoughtful about technology use and to maximize face-to-face relationships, conversation, play, and interaction at school.

But Gray’s overall message is that limiting technology is only part of the equation. Giving children appropriate independence and agency—the opportunity to make decisions, solve problems, navigate disagreements, and occasionally struggle without an adult immediately intervening—is just as critical to healthy development.

Perhaps the question for us as educators is not only, “How much technology should children be using?” but also, “Where can we step back so that children have more opportunities to think, choose, solve, and grow for themselves?”

Enjoy the listen!

Joe

Helpful Classroom Management Rubric for Teachers

 This week’s article summary is A Classroom Management Rubric.

During my first few years of teaching, my biggest challenge was classroom management. I tended to swing back and forth between being too permissive and too strict, never quite finding the right balance.

It took years of trial and error, reflection, and experience to become more confident in organizing and overseeing a classroom. Over time, I learned how to navigate the inevitable ups and downs of a school day, respond to different student personalities and needs, establish clear expectations, and practice firm but fair discipline.

Which is why I wish I had had the classroom management rubric referenced in the article below. The rubric takes the enormous and sometimes overwhelming topic of classroom management and breaks it into 10 distinct areas—from classroom setup to closure activities. Each area is then divided into five specific practices, making it a practical tool for reflection and growth.

And as you’ll read, this rubric isn’t just for new teachers. It’s an excellent checklist for veteran teachers as well. Even after years in the classroom, it can be helpful for a teacher to step back and ask: What am I doing intentionally? What has simply become habit? Where might a small change make a meaningful difference?

The ability to organize and lead a classroom that is effective, efficient, caring, responsive, and communal is sometimes overlooked as an essential part of excellent teaching. Some aspects of classroom management may come more intuitively to some, but none of it happens by accident. A well-managed classroom requires intentional thought, careful planning, ongoing reflection, and a willingness to adjust.

And ultimately, good classroom management isn’t about “managing” students. It’s about creating the conditions in which students can learn, belong, and thrive.

ALT used the article’s rubric as a guide and developed a Classroom Checklist for Teachers specifically for Trinity — you can find it within the Faculty and Staff Resource Tile on MyTrinity. 

Joe

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Developing a consistent classroom management system is a common struggle for most teachers. Regardless of whether they’re veterans or newbies, all educators can benefit in some way from a more practical setup that’s tailored to their needs.

As a veteran educator and teacher trainer, I’m flattered whenever educators attend my classroom management trainings or ask my for advice. My goal is to work with teachers so they can consider the status of their classroom’s organization and day-to-day operations, rather than immediately aiming for a “prescription” that will fix perceived issues.

Here is a handy self-assessment rubric Classroom Management Assessment teachers can use to tweak their classroom organization, strategies, and routines. It is a checklist of sorts; I encourage teacher to look at each of the key practices independently. For each practice, these are five related procedures that collectively demonstrate mastery.

Teachers should target the practices that they identify as needing the most improvement. Any practice with fewer than three check marks is a good candidate. I recommend to teachers that they select no more than five practices in total. In my experience, classroom setup, routines, directions, time management, and task supervision are the most crucial classroom management practices—especially for newer educators. I refer to these practices as the “principal five.”

A more seasoned veteran might score better on the “principal five” practices than the other five key practices. In my own classroom, I tend to score lower on practices like feedback and closure. Both are closely linked to another practice: time management. I only came to that conclusion after doing some reflection about which boxes I was checking off.

Many teachers I’ve worked with seem surprised that the changes I suggest are not very rigid, nor are they full of rules and consequences.

I assure teachers that my classroom is a work in progress and theirs will be too. Great teachers constantly question their methods and procedures, tweak what doesn’t work, expand best practices, and keep their eye on the “status of the class.”