Make It a Reward, Not a Threat

During the thirty-six years when I taught, I've often (and sadly) heard other teachers punish a child by putting them alone with a book. Or tell them they can't do such-and-such until they've read X number of pages. Or worse, test them on every book they read. The conditions may change, but the outcome is inevitable:

Children learn to hate to read.

We need to turn this around and reward children by letting them read. Better yet, if you're a parent or grandparent, let your child pick out a book they want at the local supermarket or book store. Or library! Make it a weekly jaunt, or a regular stopover when you run certain errands. 

If the child misbehaves, take away that wonderful privilege of reading. But don't ever use reading a book as a form of punishment.

Please.