Reading is fundamental to us as a society. Research consistently shows that it improves exam outcomes, increases earning potential, and strengthens empathy. Yet we are raising children in a world where smartphones compete relentlessly for their attention – often at the expense of deep thinking. So why would I tell you to stop telling boys to read?
Because it isn’t working.
With only 25% of boys reporting that they enjoy reading, it is time to rethink our approach. The gender gap continues to widen, with Key Stage 3 becoming a particular concern. In 1984, 35% of 13-year-olds reported reading daily. By 2023, that figure had dropped to just 13%—and it continues to fall. As Dr Jared Cooney Horvath notes, Generation Z is the first generation in recorded history to underperform compared to their parents.
As an English teacher, I am asked the same question time and again: How do I get my son to read? Parents try everything – rewards, pressure, persistence – but often see little success. The issue is not effort; it is approach.
If we want boys to read, we must stop presenting it as a task and start cultivating it as a shared experience.
First, create space. Remove the constant pull of screens and establish protected, screen-free time in the day. Then consider what your son sees. Do the adults around him read? Do they talk about books, characters, plots, cliffhangers? Reading must be visible if it is to feel valuable.
Next comes engagement. Share the experience. Read alongside them. Co-read. Turn it into something active – take parts, perform dialogue, bring the story to life. Reading should not feel like isolation or punishment; it should feel like connection.
The National Institutes of Health states that early shared reading “stimulates brain development and is linked to better cognitive skills, including listening, attention, and comprehension.” In other words, reading together doesn’t just build readers – it builds thinkers.
And then we must confront one final statistic: just 13% of men read daily.
In a time when conversations around male role models are increasingly urgent, this matters. We need visible role models who read – who show curiosity, empathy, imagination, and intellectual engagement. So if you are part of that 13%, don’t keep it quiet. Talk about it, share, challenge, inspire. You are the role model we are
searching for, and these boys need to know more about you and what you are reading.
In a world where role models for young men are becoming an increasing concern across social media, perhaps it is time to begin a new initiative: one where boys are not told to read, but where they see it – where they are drawn in, lured into stories that transport them, spark curiosity, and stretch their thinking beyond what they thought possible. It is time to become a different kind of influencer—one who is here for the pages, not the likes.
As Marian Wright Edelman reminds us, “You can’t be what you can’t see.”
So, let’s give boys something worth seeing.
Let’s stop telling them to read – and start showing them why they would want to. Reading shouldn’t be pushed on us, we shouldn’t be told, it should be a shared and united passion.
At Lockers Park, we are deliberately working to make this visible. Through initiatives such as Caught Reading tickets, we celebrate reading as something to be noticed and valued. Dedicated, focused reading time builds habit and protects space for immersion. Shared reading experiences with staff – whether co-reading, recommendations, or informal conversations – help boys see that reading is not confined to lessons, but part of a broader culture. Across the school, a visible reading presence reinforces this message: reading is not hidden away; it is lived, shared, and championed.
– Noeleen Corrigan, Deputy Head