How much should my child read each day?
Most reading guidelines for kids are framed as minimums to enforce — 20 minutes, logged and signed. Research on reading motivation tells a different story: children who choose their books and read in a predictable family rhythm read more over time than children tracked minute-by-minute.
A useful daily baseline shifts with age. Preschoolers (3–5) thrive on 10–15 minutes of shared read-aloud time. Early elementary readers (6–8) do well with about 20 minutes of mixed shared and independent reading. By ages 9–12, 25–30 minutes of self-chosen reading is a strong rhythm, and teens benefit most from consistency — a regular slot, even a short one, beats sporadic marathons.
The Reading Rhythm Planner turns those research baselines into a plan that fits your family: pick an age band and get a realistic daily target plus low-pressure habits that keep reading a pleasure instead of a chore.