The Daily Dad

Show Them What They’ll Get Out Of This

Jan 5, 2024

03:55

Snipd AI

Teaching kids to read through self-interest rather than pressure. Books can entertain, educate, solve problems, improve oneself, and assist in social situations. Mention of Factor Meals sponsorship.

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Quick takeaways

To foster a love for books and reading, it is crucial to focus on the tangible benefits and immediate rewards reading can bring, rather than emphasizing literary merit or forcing kids to read complex novels.

By showcasing the practical advantages and benefits that reading offers, parents can motivate their kids to develop a genuine love for books and reading, such as personal growth, learning new skills, feeling less alone, and gaining knowledge from notable figures.

Deep dives

Teaching reading effectively

Most schools and parents teach reading in a way that doesn't resonate with kids, leading to disinterest and low motivation. To foster a love for books and reading, it is crucial to focus on the tangible benefits and immediate rewards reading can bring. Instead of emphasizing literary merit or forcing kids to read complex novels, the key is to show them the practical value of books. For instance, highlighting how reading can help them impress someone they like, provide entertainment, or solve a problem can greatly engage them. By focusing on the return on investment (ROI) reading offers, such as learning new skills, feeling less alone, and personal growth, children are more likely to become lifelong readers.

Show them what they’ll get out of this

4min

Most schools and most parents teach reading all wrong. They bully kids into doing it. They pressure them. They tell them, “Reading is what smart and successful people do.” Then they’re surprised when kids who struggled with reading don’t think they’re smart, and they wonder why kids almost wear illiteracy as a badge of honor. They wonder why people say things like, “I haven’t read a book since I was forced to in high school.”

No, the way to teach a kid to read is not to talk about how wonderful literature is and force them to read fancy or pretentious novels. You teach a kid to love books by—as the great lover of books Robert Greene has said—appealing to their self-interest. *Show them what they will get out of books.*Tangibly. Immediately. Show them that quote from Warren Buffet, where he says the single best investment he ever made was buying a copy of Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor.

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