The Missing Piece in At-Home Reading (and How to Add It Without More Burnout)

New years mean new goals, but according to psychologist Dr. Seth Meyers (in full disclosure, my big brother), adults are reporting more stress and burnout than ever. Adding something new to the plate, then, seems unappealing to say the least. So when making goals for 2026, it can be easier to reshape habits already in place, tweaking them to  make them, in effect, new. Dr. Seth highlights that modifying a habit already in place is far easier and much more likely to stick than beginning a new routine altogether.

What does this look like as it relates to reading with our kids at home? Many parents already have wonderful reading routines already in place - they read to their child each night (or most nights). And if the child has developed enough skills to read independently, they have their child read on their own each night or most night. Both of these reading practices are excellent habits to have in place, so what needs to change?

There is a crucial third component of reading at home that is often skipped, and it is a practice which can benefit young readers more in some cases than reading independently: having children read aloud. When children read aloud, they have the chance to hear themselves, and therefore, work on reading smoothly. They can sound out words with the occasional help of a parent who can help with the decoding process. Children have a chance to pause at their own pace and look at pictures or ask questions, which helps greatly with comprehension. Numerous studies have shown this “third leg” is of critical importance and a huge unlock for reading skills and fluency.

For many parents who may not already be having their child read aloud, this sounds like adding something entirely new, like more work. which likely is not in the cards for parents who are more burnt out than ever. This is where the psychology of changing old habits can be deployed! Parents who already read aloud to their child for say 15-20 minutes can ask their child to read to them for a portion of that time. The total commitment can remain the same; the only change is the allocation of time.

When children are very young - birth to PreK - reading aloud is still the best practice. But as children begin to learn to sound out words, parents can ask their child to read to them for five minutes or more. A routine for a kindergartener might look like a parent reading to their kindergartener for ten minutes, then switching roles for five. For a first grader, the routine can likely shift by five or so minutes, making reading time look like a parent reading to a child for ten minutes and the child reading to the parent for ten minutes. The same routine can follow for second graders and third graders.

According to a recent Booktrition survey, many parents opt out of asking their children to read aloud because their child “prefers to read to themselves.” This is a common problem, and it often stems from lack of confidence and the fear of making mistakes. It’s human nature to like what we’re good at, and unfortunately, many times kids don’t like to read because they don’t feel successful. It is so important to understand that many times we put our kids in this predicament without even realizing it. Often, the books we ask kids to read aloud are too difficult phonetically and cannot be read with accuracy.  Parents need to be deliberate in choosing the best books to have their child read to them.

There is a phonetic scope and sequence taught to kids beginning in kindergarten, beginning with letter sounds, then progressing to basic CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words like “cat” and “dog.” Many kids at this age also learn words with the “magic -e” ending like “cake” and “hike” and words with open vowels such as “go” or “hi.” In first grade, children learn to decode words with blends like “slip” and “crab.” From there, the phonetics progress to words with vowel teams like the word “team” itself and words with r-controlled vowels such as “worm” and “herd.” By the end of second grade, children put the phonics together and add complexities such as prefixes and suffixes and exceptions to rules. Overall, the amount of phonics grows in a steep curve.

It makes perfect sense, then, some books with more phonics complexity will be too challenging for a kindergartener or first grader.  This is the exact reason that Booktrition came to fruition! The books listed on the website evolve in complexity from kindergarten through early third grade. The words from every book through to the end of second grade were extracted and analyzed phonetically. Kindergarten books are filled with CVC words, first grade books contain CVC words, words with blends and vowel teams, and second grade books have all of the above with even more complexities like suffix endings and prefix beginnings. Booktrition’s books match where children are at phonetically each step of the way.

So when parents think about new goals for 2026, think about reframing reading time at home. Start by finding books that are almost too easy to give an initial sense of confidence. Over time, parents can tweak the books their child reads aloud as well as the number of minutes they read. At first, the change in reading structure may be difficult, as are most changes. But with consistency, and maybe even some incentives if needed, children and parents will develop a successful new routine. Sometimes the best new habits stem from a variation of the ones that were already in place.