Encouraging kids to read, Not!

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by mousepod

Speaking as a non-parent (so far) but a proud nerd, I wonder why the big deal about incentivizing reading? It seems like a parent who instills the joy of reading in their child could also teach said child the ability to distinguish important goals like good grades, manners, and hygiene from less important ones, like how many books one reads when compared to other children in a limited geographic area. Obviously, I have no first-hand experience from the parents' POV, so I'm truly interested in the answer.

Some kids do need an additional push to get started reading, for the rest I'd compare it to a sport. Once in awhile it's fun to go head to head with other kids and see what you can do. The kids that come out on top of the reading program are just as proud as the kid that hits the game winning run.