DD hates to read

Without knowing her it is hard to tell what the ‘turnoff’ is…are the books that she is trying way above her reading level? Or are they on topics that she just isn’t all that interested in? Does she see you setting aside time to read, or can you share a special time to read together?

Also, I think one of the things that helps a child form the habit of reading is setting aside a specific time for reading every day. She should have a quiet hour when she is able to choose a book and work through it.

My kids sometimes have books that I tell them are ‘assigned’. They must read one chapter of that book before they can move on to free reading time. Usually they end up enjoying the book and continuing in it on their own once they get started. But even if they choose to read something else, the time is still spent in quality reading.

Limiting T.V. and even computer time helps to create a reader. Not only will she have less to distract her for entertainment, but her attention span will increase so that she can enjoy a book more.

Since you say that you enjoy books, I am wondering if maybe the books you are choosing might be where you feel she should be, rather than where she is in her reading level. It is okay for her to start with books that may seem ‘young’ in reading level, just to get her into the habit of enjoying her reading time. She will build up to more challenging literature.

If it makes you feel better, my husband hated to read until he was an adult. Now he is absolutely an avid reader, though he still reads slowly. I think creating the habit of reading for information and pleasure is the most important thing for you to pass on to her.

Maybe these are already things you have tried, and this just isn’t her strongest suit. I think it important to continue to develop her in this area, and appreciate the growth she makes – even if she doesn’t turn out just like Mom :).

As a child I read non stop every day all day and when I realized that 3 of my girls (we have one too young to read yet) do not share my same passion for reading it was something I very much mourned.  It is hard for me to wrap my head around pleasure in life that doesn’t involve hours immersed in good literature.  

My three suggestions are this, first, have a good cry over it as a loss.  You had a dream as a parent that is not being realized and it is okay to be sad about that.  Second, I agree with lowering the reading level as a confidence builder and so she is not spending as much time doing something she dislikes.  Third, many people (although not you presumably) do not glean information best from reading.  I personally learn best from speaking facts aloud after I have read or heard them.  I have a daughter who learns best from being physically involved with the topic.  Some people need to write down what they have learned to solidfy it.  Discover what way your daughter learns best.  A great book on this is called The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias.  It is an easy read and maps out the different types of learners and how to cater topics to their learning styles.  Different learning styles are often a reason schools have trouble teaching 30 kids the same topic, because there are so many learning styles and one teacher can’t possibly cover them all.  But the great thing about homeschooling is that you can do that as the mom.  Once you know how she learns best (and at 12 she can probably help you figure that out with the guidence in the book) you can look at ways other than reading the information (gasp!  I know, hard for us book people to hear!) that will help her maintain, and I would guess excel, in her studies.  And while the CM method highly stresses living books (and you would certainly still use them!), it does support different learning styles.  This is most obvious in the various suggestions for narration ideas:  oral, drawing, written, acting, diaramas, etc.   

I hope this and the other suggestions you received do help!