Carol Dweck on what to do when your child says, "I don't like reading!"

Carol Dweck on what to do when your child says, “I don’t like reading!”

Read between the lines, says Stanford psychologist and Mindset author Carol Dweck. Why? Because kids mean something very different when they object to reading.

by: The GreatSchools Editorial Team

Here鈥檚 how 4 other parenting experts say to respond…

Melissa Taylor
Don’t despair, says Book Love author Melissa Taylor. Instead, try these three secrets to get your reluctant reader hooked on books. Format: Video (1:58)

Bruce Feiler
The bestselling author of The Secret of Happy Families did his research and discovered the best way to respond. Format: Video (1:39)

Kelly Gallagher
Longtime educator and child reading expert Kelly Gallagher says that a parent should take into account a child鈥檚 age and use these techniques to make reading fun. Format: Article

Marva Collins
Famed educator Marva Collins shares her secret for getting even the most recalcitrant readers to succeed. Format: Article

Video transcript

鈥淥ften when kids say reading is boring, I don鈥檛 like reading, they really mean I鈥檓 afraid I am not good at reading. Often behind this screen of I don鈥檛 like, I don鈥檛 want, is this idea that some people are good at something and some aren鈥檛. And maybe I鈥檓 not good at it. And if we teach kids that skills like reading are things that you become better at over time by doing it when it鈥檚 hard. That can make a really big difference. And in general, we should teach them hard things don鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e not good at something. Hard is how you get better at them. In general, we should teach them, easy tasks, boring, waste of time. Hard tasks, that鈥檚 when you鈥檙e growing these connections in your brain and getting smarter.鈥�

About the author

The GreatSchools Editorial Team

黄色app is a national nonprofit with a mission to help every child obtain a high-quality education that values their unique abilities, identities, and aspirations. We believe in the power of research-backed, actionable information to empower parents, family members, and educators to help make this happen. For 25 years, the GreatSchools Editorial Team has been working to make the latest, most important, and most actionable research in education, learning, and child development accessible and actionable for parents through articles, videos, podcasts, hands-on learning resources, email and text messaging programs, and more. Our team consists of journalists, researchers, academics, former teachers and education leaders 鈥� most of whom are also dedicated parents and family members 鈥� who not only research, fact check, and write or produce this information, but who use it in our daily lives as well. We welcome your feedback at editorial@great黄色apps.org.