At some point, a child stops saying "I can't read this word" and starts saying "I'm not a reader." That shift from a skill gap to an identity is the hardest moment in a child's reading journey, and it is the one most books skip past entirely. This one does not.
My Child Believes Reading Is Not for Them is a 4-week, compassion-first plan for parents and teachers supporting a child who has emotionally checked out of reading the child who deflects, avoids, jokes their way out of reading time, or flatly says they are bad at it.
This is not a phonics workbook. It is a confidence-rebuilding system grounded in both the Science of Reading and how children form (and unform) beliefs about themselves, built around small, deliberately engineered wins rather than pressure, correction, or pep talks that do not land.
What's inside:- A 4-week plan focused specifically on rebuilding belief and motivation, not just closing a skill gap
- A framework for identifying exactly where reading-related shame or avoidance took root
- Word-for-word scripts for what to say — and what never to say — immediately after a reading struggle
- A method for engineering small, visible, undeniable wins that a discouraged child cannot dismiss or downplay
- Specific strategies for the child who deflects with humor, the child who shuts down silently, and the child who has started avoiding books altogether
- Guidance for both one-on-one home settings and group classroom settings, including how to rebuild confidence without singling a child out in front of peers
Who this book is for:- Parents of a child who has said, in some form, "I'm not good at reading" or "I hate reading" and has started avoiding it
- K–3 and upper elementary teachers supporting a reluctant or shut-down reader inside a full classroom
- Reading interventionists and resource teachers whose students have skill gaps tangled up with motivation and self-esteem
- School counselors and learning support staff addressing the emotional side of a reading struggle
- Tutors meeting a child who has already developed negative associations with reading before the first session begins
- Anyone who has searched "child hates reading," "reluctant reader strategies," or "how to build reading confidence in kids"
This is Book 4 of the Reading-Smart Series, written for the child whose challenge is not just decoding words, but believing they can.
Written by Anju Singh, M.Sc., B.Sc., B.Ed., PBDE — a Canadian educator with more than twenty years of classroom experience and deep specialization in the Science of Reading.Anju Singh is a literacy expert and educator with deep roots in diverse, multicultural classrooms. She is the creator of the SoundFirst Literacy Curriculum, the Reading Smart series (5 books), The Whole Child Classroom Toolkit (3 volumes), The Science of Reading Workbook & Decodable series (24 books), and The Inner Hero series (10 books), along with several independent titles. She holds an M.Sc., a PBDE, a B.Ed., a B.Sc., and Orton-Gillingham certification, with advanced training in the International Baccalaureate (IB) framework. Her work weaves together structured, evidence-based literacy instruction, differentiated and inquiry-based learning, and social-emotional development - giving educators and families practical tools that honor how children actually learn. Anju writes for real classrooms and real children, with one consistent promise: meet the learner where they are, and walk with them forward.
