Learning how to read is hard and, as parents, it can be very frustrating to fight with your kids over something so important to their lives, as well as something you know they’ll love and thank you for later. So how do we support a love for reading and help kids view it less as a chore and more of enjoyable activity? Here are five ideas.

Often, when writing for kids, there is some sort of lesson or message that you hope to impart. But whereas adults might finish reading something even if the moral is heavy-handed or obvious, kids are more honest (sometimes pronounced “brutal.”) If your story is little more than a standard life lesson with a new coat of paint on it, I believe your audience will check out before you’ve gotten to the good stuff. But if you can make kids laugh, they just might be more receptive to what you’re trying to say.

What makes an activity special is not the act itself, or whatever thing you do or do not accomplish, but rather who you’re doing it with, and the time that’s dedicated to doing it together. I didn’t want to go fishing that day (and if he’s being honest, my father probably didn’t want to either), I wanted to spend some special time with my dad, and vice versa.

I have a confession to make: when I first started on my publishing journey, I really thought that the normal rules wouldn’t apply to me.