How to Make a Boy HATE Reading in 7 Easy Steps

It's no secret that there is a definite gender gap in reading. It's not just a national problem, it is a worldwide epidemic and has been since the 1970s. Statistically, boys tend to score several points lower on standardized tests in all language arts categories including reading and reading comprehension. And although the 2015 Brown Center Report on American Education does indicate that the gap has narrowed a bit in more recent years, the staggering truth is that when surveyed, 2 out of 3 adults who claim, "I don't read," were men. In other words, while the reading assessment scores of boys might be increasing, their desire to read is not.

As a mother of four boys, I find this disheartening, at best. 

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Has the social shift to provide ample gender equality in education actually put boys at a disadvantage to girls? In our attempts to level the playing field, have we actually tipped the scales in the opposite direction? I thought equal meant equal?

But maybe that's just me? Maybe I'm asking too much. Maybe boys were meant for lesser things. Maybe encouraging them to settle for the lowest common denominator is best.

If so, then the plan is easy, really. To get a boy to fail academically (especially in the area of language arts), all you have to do is get him to HATE reading. Simply follow these 7 steps, and you'll have your boy hating reading in no time!

Teach reading with trade-show-readers

Since trade-show-readers like the ones lining the aisles of Walmart, Target, and even your local library were not written with natural phonemic progression in mind, they are perfect for teaching a boy to read. These books, written by regular authors who were given a list of high-frequency-words with which to mix-and-match into a story, provide no way for a boy to easily crack the code of the written word while reading them. As he fumbles along trying to make sense of these unrecognizable words, he'll begin to loathe the very process of reading. He won't learn to enjoy reading because he won't have any initial success at it.

Be sure to avoid ALL true emergent reader books. Those are books designed with reading progress in mind. They teach reading phonetically and will help a boy master his decoding skills. If he learns to read well, he might actually like reading more. And we can't have that!

Avoid reading out loud

On the rare chance a boy actually learns to read fluently while using trade-show-readers, stop reading out loud to him...immediately! Remember that the Commission on Reading stated that the "single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children." (Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkinson, 1985, p. 23)

Reading out loud to a boy, especially after he has learned to read for himself, will only provide a frame of reference for vocabulary and pronunciation. It will furnish an opportunity for you to introduce uncommon words to him...words that don't naturally make their way into everyday conversation. Reading aloud will only develop a boy's inner ear and his ability to recognize sentence patterns, proper subject/verb agreement, and language structure. (Shakes head in judgment.)

And don't even get me started on reading out loud to him in order to set an example for the skills of reading...the ones that help with his inference and interpretation of the story...like inflection, intonation, and expression! If he can understand the mood of the story or enjoy the author's unique voice, he might like the story better. What's worse...reading out loud to him will engage both parts of his brain and not just the analytical side which tends to dominate while he reads solo. (Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, Vol. 20, Issue 3.)

Nope. Don't read out loud.

While we're on the subject of reading out loud, be sure that he NEVER reads out loud to you. Ever! As I'm sure you know, there are very few activities that will develop his phonological connections quite like reading aloud daily. Allowing him to read out loud will only increase his chances of reading mastery. He'll be able to see the word, decode it, speak it, and hear it. No. No. No. Reading out loud is too multi-sensory and could be catastrophic to your "boys drool and girls rule" reading plan.

Shove "grossology" or series books at him

Be sure to follow the example of the majority of teachers and librarians today and cavalierly declare, "It doesn't really much matter what a boy reads as long as he is reading." Plunk down lots of money for "boy" titles like The Day My Butt Went Psycho, Captain Underpants, or Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger. Because, after all, that's all a boy can handle anyway, right? Once you've exhausted all the grossology books you can find, start peddling twaddly series books to him. You know the ones. The kind you see at Target and Walmart. Books with the same flat, uninteresting characters repeating the same action in a slightly different set of circumstances will be perfect! They're uncaptivating, lack mystery, and will bore him to tears.

And whatever you do, DO NOT under any set of circumstances give him a quality book...a book with rich language, well-developed plot lines, and interesting characters. No, that would just thwart all your plans!

Insist that he writes book reports and answers lots of comprehension questions about what he reads

Encourage him to overanalyze everything he reads. Make a writing lesson out of each.and.every reading experience. Ignore the reality that book reports are actually designed for classroom use...in order to prove to a teacher of 40 students that all 40 students read their assigned books. Never mind the fact that you just saw him reading the book on the couch and that you just had an interesting conversation with him about the plot. Bombard him with written comprehension questions. Reading will quickly become associated with an assignment and pleasure reading (reading for the sheer enjoyment of reading) will be a thing of the past! Pure genius! (Insert sinister laugh)

Demand that he read from curriculum readers or boxed sets

With firm resolve, never ever let him read real books or books of his choosing. Those dry-as-dust curriculum readers that have short little senseless stories written by curriculum editors are just the thing to grow reading disdain. Or better yet, tease him with the thought of reading real books, but only allow him to read the books that come in a curriculum boxed set. True, those might be really great books that could compel some readers, but they don't compel him because he's not interested in reading about those topics. So, those books will be perfect! Keep 'em coming.

Avoid audiobooks

Convince him that audiobooks "don't count"...that outsourcing some of his reading to audio books would somehow be "cheating." Remember, audiobooks feature professionally trained actors who use dialects, accents, and even sound effects to make the story interesting. Don't let him listen to them at bedtime, on long car trips, while doing chores, or as mindFUL entertainment. That would only nourish his mind and allow him to learn even while he is still learning to read. And that would be tragic!

Hold to a fiction-only mantra

Wave the fiction banner proudly. Make it known that only fiction books qualify for leisure reading. Ignore the fact that a great number of boys prefer to read non-fiction, how-to books, or biographies. Wag a judgment finger at him and teach him that Those kinds of books count for science and history, but not for "fun" reading. Fiction it is, whether he likes it or not! (Well played!)

But I digress...

Obviously, this post is dripping with sarcasm. But as obnoxious or unbelievable as these "7 easy steps" seem, the truth is, I have seen them played out in home after home...always with the same results...boys who HATE reading. The gender reading gap is a THING. A real and undeniable thing. The dumbing down of our boys to create a better academic environment for girls is a disparaging look at our ME FIRST culture and a sad commentary of actual equality.

Our boys AND girls deserve better.

Book Suggestions for Boys 

20 MUST-READ Chapter Books for Young Boys
30 Character-Building Books for Young Boys
My List of the Top Book Lists {And Other Tips for Developing a Reading Culture}