Why Pushing Your Struggling Reader to Love Reading Is the Wrong Goal

You cannot force a child to love reading. But you can spark something even stronger that leads them there.

What My Son Taught Me About Helping Struggling Readers

Many parents tell me that their biggest hope is for their struggling reader to love reading someday. I get it. I wanted that too. As a reading teacher and someone who always has a book nearby, I dreamed that all three of my boys would share this passion.

But one of my sons did not. Around third grade, reading went from neutral to miserable for him. He began to hate it. He avoided it completely whenever he could.

I want to share his story with you because there is hope. What I learned from his journey radically changed the goal I set for my students and the hope I hold for their future. I believe it might change yours too.

The Years of Struggle

Through elementary, middle, and high school, reading remained a constant challenge for him. His comprehension was low, which made everything harder. We tried to help in every way we knew. We also had him tested, but he did not qualify for an IEP or even a 504 plan. His school wouldn't offer him any extra help, even though he clearly needed it.

Some teachers suggested his struggle was due to low motivation. I never agreed with that idea. I always believed the low motivation was a result of his reading challenges, not the cause. A few teachers tutored him after school, which helped with skills, but the dislike for reading continued to grow.

Middle and high school reading classes were especially discouraging. He felt little interest in the content, and he could not see any purpose in learning what he was being asked to read. His grades suffered, which only reinforced the feeling that reading was pointless.

Low Expectations

By the end of high school, the message we received was difficult to hear. We were told that college might not be a realistic option for him and that community college might be the best he could manage.

I never agreed with that perspective. I also recognized that both teachers and my son had developed very low expectations for his academic future. Those expectations were not based on who he truly was. They were based on years of reading frustration.

After graduation, something began to shift. He started to feel better about himself. He also had more control over what he learned. For the first time, he could choose courses that interested him. Slowly, motivation began to grow, not because anyone demanded it, but because he was curious.

The Turning Point: A Love of Learning

Once he entered college, he discovered subjects that fascinated him. Philosophy. Government. Psychology. Suddenly, learning meant something. He began asking questions and seeking answers.

Research consistently shows that when students find personal meaning in what they are learning, motivation and engagement rise significantly (Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000).

That is exactly what happened. He wanted to learn more. Reading became a tool that helped him explore the ideas he cared about.

And then a miracle. He started buying books.

Physical books. With his own money. And not easy or simplified ones. Just recently he bought: Sun Tzu: The Art of War The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, and Plato: The Republic.

This Thanksgiving, I walked into his room and saw him lying on the floor reading one of these books. Completely absorbed. Reading by choice. Reading for pleasure. My jaw dropped. A tear filled my eye. I could not believe the transformation I was seeing.

In that moment, I realized something important. The goal I had spent so many years chasing had been the wrong goal.

Why Loving Learning Should Be the Goal

We often aim for struggling readers to love reading. It sounds right, but it places the emphasis in the wrong place. The love of reading does not usually come first. The love of learning comes first.

The National Reading Panel explains that strong literacy instruction must be systematic and grounded in evidence based practices (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000).

Yes, struggling readers need explicit instruction in phonics and comprehension. They need decodable texts and structured literacy. Those tools matter deeply.

But those tools alone do not unlock motivation. A student must believe that what they are learning has purpose.

When a child is interested, engaged, and curious, motivation steps in to carry them through the hard work of reading. And reading is hard work for many children.

Current research supports this idea. When students have genuine interest in the content, reading engagement improves and achievement follows (Kiili et al., 2023).

In other words:

Curiosity pulls a student forward.

Skills help them climb higher.

Motivation keeps them going.

There Is Real Hope

If your child dislikes reading or avoids books, if reading has become a daily battle, do not give up hope. Your child is not broken. They may simply not have found purpose in what they are being asked to read… yet.

Help them explore what they love. Nurture curiosity. Build knowledge. Let them discover that learning matters.

It is the love of learning that motivates a child to do the hard work of reading. And that can change everything.

If Your Child Is Struggling, You Do Not Have to Do This Alone

I know what it feels like to watch your child struggle with reading and to wonder if they will ever enjoy learning. There is hope. With patience, guidance, and the right approach, your child can gain confidence and curiosity.

If you want to explore ways to support your child, I am happy to share ideas and strategies that have worked for families like ours.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Heidi. I am a licensed Reading Specialist and a Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner with over 20 years of experience in education. Since 2022, I have been supporting children with dyslexia and spelling challenges both online and in person through private practice, working with students in grades 2–12 in the United States and with international school students around the world.

My goal is to make this journey less overwhelming and more empowering for families, helping children gain confidence and success in reading and spelling.

Connect with Heidi at Successfuldyslexiatutoring.com or on Linked in.

Research and References 

1. Cubillos, M., & Troncoso, R. (2025). The Evolving Relationship Between Reading Motivation and Achievement: A Longitudinal Study. Education Sciences, 15(10), 1274.

   Shows that as children get older, motivation becomes a stronger predictor of reading achievement.

2. Klauda, S. L., & Guthrie, J. T. (2014). Comparing Relations of Motivation, Engagement, and Achievement among Struggling and Advanced Adolescent Readers. Reading and Writing, 28, 239–269. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25663747/Demonstrates that motivation predicts engagement, which supports growth in reading comprehension even for struggling readers.

3. Akbari, E., Cheema, J. R., & Farrell, A. (2016). Motivation for reading among struggling middle school readers: A mixed methods study. Learning and Individual Differences, 49, 260–269. Finds that self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation significantly predict reading comprehension outcomes.

4. Guthrie, J. T., & Wigfield, A. (2000). Engagement and motivation in reading. In M. L. Kamil, P. B. Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of Reading Research (Vol. 3, pp. 403–422). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Summarizes evidence that student interest and engagement improve reading outcomes and comprehension.

5. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read. U.S. Government Printing Office. Provides evidence that structured, systematic literacy instruction is essential for reading development.