Tired of nagging your kids to read? Try these effortless ways to encourage reluctant readers.

Family life can be exhausting. It’s full of small yet time-consuming chores. One such chore is tracking your child’s reading progress. You surely know that kids are expected to read 20 minutes a day. But getting reluctant readers to read and monitoring their reading activity is often an extra effort that can easily slip through the cracks. So how can you get your kids to read without adding an extra burden to your already busy life? Here are 5 no-effort tips for busy parents to get reluctant readers reading.

1. Leave your books around: Your mess leaves a message.

Don’t whisk books off the kitchen counter. Don’t stack them back on bookshelves. Keep books of all sorts in high traffic areas where they can be easily seen. Books that are visible around the house are subtle reminders that reading is always an option. Out of sight is out of mind—so keep books in sight and in mind.

2. Don’t drag yourself into a bargain.

Your kids may be very good at wasting time arguing about the details of your reading requirement instead of actually reading. So don’t go there. When they’ve got their books in their hands, don’t argue. Don’t engage in debate. Let them sit there with the book. Pretty soon, they’ll just open it up and read. And if they don’t, they at least learn that it’s futile to argue with you about the read-for-20-minute-a-day policy. It’s a great way to do nothing and make a positive impact!

3. Talk about your kids’ books.

If you’re a busy parent, you probably see your kids’ books in their backpacks, but you might not know anything about them. Getting to know your child’s reading preferences can go a long way to fostering a positive reading environment. You don’t have to spend any time actually reading their books, just ask them about the pictures on the cover. Or simply ask them the names of the characters (every book has characters, right?). Take an interest in what they choose to read. Your interest subtly honors their choices and validates the time they spend reading.

Legends of Droon: A series loved my my reluctant reader son, Arthur.

If you want to put a bit of extra effort into the conversation, google their books and get a quick summary. A little extra attention goes a long way. The first and only series my son read in the third grade was The Secrets Of Droon by Tony Abbot. I’m personally not big into fantasy, but he was. So I read a few titles in the series. I was able to talk with him about Tony and Keeah and Lord Sparr. He was proud to explain the fantasy world and started thinking about it as “his” series. Fostering kind of pride helps makes kids love reading.

4. Bring a book, not a device, to the dentist

When you’re doing errands with your kids in tow, like going to the bank, dentist, or doctor, don’t let them bring their electronic devices. Don’t let them borrow your phone. While they’re waiting, let them browse through the books. They’ll find that stories can be as entertaining as video games.

5. Have an electronic breakdown

Yesterday, the internet went out in our house. Ahhhh! No cable! No web games! My son Henry is now old enough to be the one to fix it. And the way he fixed it was by… plugging in the cable box. The plug had somehow gotten dislodged. This experience reminded me of a stealthy little trick that’s oh, so easy. Just unplug your cable for an afternoon.

This works well on car trips, too. If you have a movie player in your car, say it’s broken. Leave a box of books in your car. Your kids will grab a book if they’re really bored. But, as Arthur says in my book, I Hate Reading, don’t encourage your kids to read in the car if they get car sick. Throwing up is a great way to stop reading.

A spread from I Hate Reading by Beth Bacon: Ironic advice about reading in a car.