How to get kids to read more: a daily reading time
How to get kids to read more: a short reading time at the same hour every day, books they pick, and a simple reading log. Works for music practice too.
The simplest way to get kids to read more is a short, fixed reading time every day, for example 15 to 20 minutes right after dinner, with books they chose themselves. Then make it easy to see that it got done, with a check mark in a reading log or a timer that counts the minutes.
Here is why that beats a weekly goal, how to set it up at home, and how Kroni's practice timer can help. The same idea works for an instrument, times tables and spelling.
Why a little every day beats a weekly goal
A weekly goal, like "read 100 minutes this week", tends to slide to Sunday night. Then reading becomes one long session your child dreads.
- It becomes a habit. Reading at the same time every day becomes like brushing teeth: it just happens, with nothing to agree on again.
- It is short enough to start. Fifteen minutes is doable, even on a tired Tuesday.
- Nothing piles up. A missed day is just one day. Tomorrow brings a new reading time, not a debt.
How to set up a daily reading time at home
- Pick a fixed time. Tie reading to something that already happens daily, such as right after dinner or in bed before lights out.
- Decide how long. Ten minutes that happen beat thirty that get put off, so start small and add time later.
- Find a regular spot. The couch, a comfy chair or bed, with good light and no screens within reach.
- Let your child pick the book. Comics, nonfiction and old favorites all count, as long as they want to open them.
- Make it visible. A check in a reading log, a sticker or a timer, so your child can see that today's reading is done.
- Talk about the book, not the minutes. Ask what happened or who they are rooting for, so reading is about the story.
Set this up together. A plan your child helped make is easier to stick with.
A simple reading log on paper
If the school sends home a reading log, use that one instead of keeping two. Otherwise a sheet on the fridge will do: one row per day with the date, the book and the minutes, or just a box to check. Let your child fill it in. It is their log, not a way to check up on them.
After a couple of weeks you may notice that Wednesdays always slip. Move the reading time on that day instead of nagging. If more than one grown-up reads with your child, here is how to share one reading log without logging twice.
How many minutes by age
There is no single right answer. Many schools ask for about 15 to 20 minutes of reading a day as homework, and "read 20 minutes a day" is a goal many families know. As a starting point:
- Ages 6 to 7: 10 to 15 minutes, often with a grown-up. Your child reads a little and you read the rest.
- Ages 8 to 10: 15 to 20 minutes, alone or with a grown-up nearby.
- Ages 11 to 14: 20 to 30 minutes, and longer when the book is a good one.
If the school asks for something else, go with the school. On a tired day, five minutes beats none. If your child cannot read yet, reading aloud together counts, and chores can be read aloud too.
Books your child wants to read
- Comics are reading. They are a good way in for kids who find long pages of text heavy going.
- Audiobooks work alongside. They bring stories your child cannot read alone yet, and they can follow along in the book.
- Read aloud together. Take turns reading a page each. It works with older kids too.
- It is fine to drop a book. The reading time is fixed. The book is not.
The library is the easiest place to find new books for free. See a library visit in two passes, where your child looks around before choosing.
The same idea for music practice, times tables and spelling
Anything that gets better with a little every day works the same way: 15 minutes of piano practice after school, ten minutes of times tables before dinner, or spelling words two evenings a week. When a timer counts the minutes, you also skip the argument about whether it was ten minutes or twenty.
What to avoid
- Paying per page. It rewards thin books and fast page turning. If you want to give something, tie it to the daily time.
- Reading as punishment. "Go to your room and read!" after an argument turns books into a penalty.
- Reading as the price of screen time. Then the screen becomes the goal. Keep the two apart, as screen time rewards for kids explains.
How Kroni's practice timer helps
Kroni is an app for chores and allowance, and reading can be one of the chores. Pick a time under "About how long?" on a chore (5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes) and you can turn on Practice time. The chore then becomes a practice chore:
- Your child times it. They open the chore on Today and tap Start timer. Pausing is fine: ten minutes before school and ten after add up to 20.
- Hand in once the minutes are in. The chore can be handed in only when the timer has counted the full time.
- The timer runs while the phone is put away. Kroni counts the time, not the phone, so it keeps going when the screen locks. Start on the family tablet, finish on their own phone, and the time carries over.
- A heads-up when time is up. In the app your child gets a notification once the minutes are in, if notifications are allowed. In the browser there is none.
- You see the minutes when you approve. Approvals shows a line such as "Practiced all 20 minutes." Send the chore back and the timer starts from zero.
Under Chore ideas you will find four ready-made practice chores: "Read for 20 minutes", "Practice times tables" and "Practice spelling words" under Learning, and "Practice your instrument" under Sport and music. Times tables and spelling show up for younger kids. A practice chore can pay allowance or points like any other, or nothing at all.
If numbers stress your child out, turn on Hide the numbers for that child. The timer keeps its ring and its words, without the minutes. Practice time works in the app and in a browser. See everything Kroni does on the features page.
Start small
Pick one time, one spot and one book, and try it for a week. If a day slips, start again tomorrow. Reading time should be a calm moment your child knows, not one more thing to nag about.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should kids read each day?
- There is no fixed rule. Many schools ask for about 15 to 20 minutes of reading a day as homework, which is a fair starting point for school-age kids. Younger kids can begin with ten minutes alongside a grown-up. What matters most is that it happens every day.
- What is a reading log?
- A simple sheet where your child writes down what they read, such as the date, the book and the minutes. Many schools hand out their own. If yours does not, a sheet on the fridge with one box per day that your child checks off is enough.
- Should I pay my child to read?
- That is up to your family. Some parents use a small reward to get started, others want reading to be something kids do for its own sake. Either way, agree on a fixed time together, and tie any reward to the time rather than the number of pages. In Kroni a practice chore can pay allowance, points or nothing at all.
- Do audiobooks and comics count?
- Comics are reading. Audiobooks give kids stories they cannot read on their own yet and work well alongside. If the school asks your child to read on their own, add the audiobook on top of the reading time.
- What if we miss a day?
- Skip it and start again the next day, without doubling up. In Kroni you can choose Skip today on the chore or give your child a Day off. A daily practice chore starts at zero minutes each day anyway.
