when your child is interested.

I have a dragon girl. During kindie when our reading train took off we got OBSESSED with “Dragon Girls” The series. This started because we read a chapter book of their choosing after dinner with our kids. I believe she was interested based on peer pressure but peer pressure to read is the best kind. We got a box set from my brother for A’s birthday and we were off!

This love of this series helped my daughter

plant the seed of her love.

WHAT’S HAPPENING SCIENTFICALLY??

She is learning at school how to read, and from the little things I do at home. Then when she doesn’t want to sleep (aided by a special chapter book reading light) she reads at night. This in turn helps her gain confidence, feel excited, and feel quite “grown up.” She uses what she’s learning, and her internal motivation, to practice something hard. Internal, or intrinsic motivation, is linked to your kid’s brain dopamine system. Which is where your kiddo stores pleasure and goals. Without internal motivation, there is no push. Who wants to push through something painful unless they are motivated by the result? Not me.

Reading isn’t a

“Gotta catch ‘em all”

kind of thing, it is a passion thing.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?

Find what your child is interested in. Little fun fact our boys are interested in non-fiction. More than stories like our girls. This means he may want to read a fact book about football and that is perfectly fine. This also means you will need to let them re-read things. Reading isn’t a “Gotta catch ‘em all” kind of thing, it is a passion thing. Meaning, don’t try to tick away book, after book, just for the sake of seeing how many we read. Let them read because they love what they’re reading about.

“What do YOU want to read about?”

and then RUN with it.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

A. has moved on from her love of the “Dragon Girl” series. As kids do, she grew up a bit and her reading ability outgrew the series. What’s next then? I did some digging at the library and found more dragon series. We are now into “Wings of fire” however we couldn’t quite jump right to the chapter book because they were too tough for her right now. So a fellow book lover mom friend gifted us the graphic novel. THIS was the key! Most kids can’t jump from the one series they love to the next right way, based on ability, motivation, or the like. However, we have to pay attention to what they still like, and try to match their passion. If your kiddo has moved from dragons to mysteries run with that. All I ask is that you ask the important question, “What do YOU want to read about?” and then RUN with it.

Affiliate links:

*** I get a small kickback if you purchase from these links. This helps me fuel my addiction to writing and self-producing children's books. So if you like what you read, and you have a kid that might be into dragons. Check out these books.

DRAGON GIRLS: https://amzn.to/4cGDq8T

DRAGON GAMES: https://amzn.to/4f6RM43

WINGS OF FIRE: https://amzn.to/3YaGPrQ

WINGS OF FIRE GRAPHIC NOVEL: https://amzn.to/3Lo4D41