Why Reading Still Matters—and What Your Kids Are Missing Without It

Fewer kids are reading. According to recent data, nearly 1 in 3 thirteen-year-olds say they never or hardly ever read for fun. That number was only 8% in 1984.

This isn’t just about books, but reading can’t be optional.

It’s not just that books help our kids learn new words or get better test scores, though they do. It’s that reading builds the muscle of meaning.

It trains kids to sit with complexity. To follow a thread. To connect characters, ask questions, feel something real, and wonder what comes next. It slows the world down and gives them tools to make sense of it.

And let’s be honest, how many of us wouldn’t benefit from that ourselves?

Reading doesn’t just teach our kids about nouns and verbs. It teaches them to be human. To remember. To rehearse. To recognize truth when they see it.

Screens give information.
Reading gives formation.

What Happened to Storytime?

Maybe you grew up with “Reading Rainbow” and the Scholastic book fair. Maybe you remember what it felt like to stay up late with a flashlight, pages turning under a blanket because you just had to know how the story ended.

But your kid?

They might see reading as a chore. A thing they’re forced to do before the fun can start. Or they may say, “Why would I read a book when I can just watch a video of it?”

You get it. We would rather watch the YouTube tutorial than read the manual.

But we can’t let that be the end of it.

We need to shift reading back into the “want to” category. We need to recover the joy. Not because we’re nostalgic, but because it’s still essential.

And here’s the good news: It’s not too late.

You Don’t Have to Be a Librarian

You don’t need a master’s degree in education to raise a reader. You just need one key thing:

Presence.

When you read with your kids, not just to them, you do more than share a story. You share security. You build trust. You anchor their imagination.

Here’s what research and common sense tell us:
Kids who are read to regularly have stronger vocabularies, better focus, and more confidence in learning.

But more importantly, kids who are read with, who sit close, who laugh at the silly voices, who feel the warmth of your arm around them, associate reading with love.

And that’s the key.

Because once your child’s heart connects to reading, their mind will follow.

Reading doesn’t have to be an epic bedtime production. Try a paragraph. A comic strip. A picture book. A biography. A joke book. A recipe.

Your child doesn’t need perfection.
They just need you.
With a book in your hand and time on your mind.

What If They Still Hate It?

Then read anyway.

Seriously. Let them hear you reading a magazine article aloud. Talk at dinner about something you read online. Let them see your Bible open. Laugh at something you read in a novel. Let reading be something they notice in your life, even if they’re not “into it” right now.

Your job isn’t to force a finish line.
Your job is to spark a pattern.

If your kids see that reading helps you know yourself, enjoy life, grow in your faith, or even fix something around the house, they’ll come around.

Reading is like a slow-burn candle. It may flicker, but it stays lit.

Engaging the 8 Great Smarts Through Reading

Looking for creative ways to help your kids enjoy reading? Start by tapping into their strengths:

• Word Smart – Let them choose books with fun language, puns, or witty dialogue. Try joke books or writing their own endings.

• Logic Smart – Give them mystery books, science facts, or “how things work” series. Let them question everything.

• Picture Smart – Try graphic novels, beautifully illustrated books, or let them draw their favorite scene after reading.

• Music Smart – Read books with rhythm or rhyme. Make up songs about what’s happening in the story.

• Body Smart – Act out scenes. Build a reading fort. Let them stand, rock, or even toss a ball while listening.

• Nature Smart – Read outside. Choose books about animals, space, or environmental adventures.

• People Smart – Join a library storytime or read with siblings. Talk about the characters' choices and feelings.

• Self Smart – Encourage journaling or quiet reading time with cozy blankets and soft lighting.

Remember, reading is not a lost art. It’s a rediscovered invitation.

One story, one page, one moment at a time, you can help your child find joy, identity, and truth in the power of words.

So tonight…
Put your phone down.
Pick up a book.
And say, “Hey, want to read this with me?”

You just might light a fire that lasts for life.