Resistance to do anything but the bare minimum...

...that's my son Sam right now. He's only willing to do what he HAS to do, especially when it comes to reading.

So what am I doing? Well, I am giving him a few weeks to do just that -- do only his 15-20 minutes of homework reading per night -- and then I am going to switch things up on him.

It is perfectly timed with Christmas break, where he will insist he doesn't NEED to read since he doesn't have homework.

I am going to plan a special trip to the bookstore with him...and I am also going to tap into his passion - computers and Legos. He is going to read about Legos by way of the "Visual Dictionary" books and then he will have the chance to go to the Lego store and explain to me what he read before getting a new set (under 40 dollars).

I am not going to force, or coerce. I am going to approach it peacefully, calmly, and sneakily...like coaxing a cat.

That's what works with him.

Sure, I could get upset, push, or just hand him books, but that isn't Sam's style...

Get to know your child's "style" -- how they need to be approached. That's the key to getting more.