Chapter 2 of 6
The Twenty-Minute Routine
Same time, same place, no negotiation, no pressure.
6 min read
Anchor it to something
Attach reading to an existing habit — after dinner, before lights out. Habits stick to anchors, not to intentions.
Keep it warm
No quizzing during the story. Comprehension questions in the middle of a good page turn reading into testing, and children opt out of testing.
When they resist
Offer choice, not volume: which of these two books, who reads the first page, whose voice for the wolf. Autonomy restores willingness faster than rewards do.
Practice exercises
0 of 3 complete1.Your child resists reading tonight. Best first move?
2.Which routine builds a reader fastest?
3.Write the ten-minute reading slot you can genuinely protect on a normal weeknight, and what it replaces.