In Suid-Afrika is daar ’n behoefte om ’n omgewing te skep waar kinders voortdurend gemotiveer word om te lees. Daar is vasgestel dat lees vir genot dikwels die vermiste element in geletterdheidsontwikkeling is. Daarbenewens is lees met begrip en vlotheid ’n ernstige probleem onder Suid-Afrikaanse leerders.Hierdie artikel vorm deel van ’n studie oor humor as motivering vir die teësinnige leser. Navorsing bevestig dat kinders (6- tot 12-jariges) se motivering ’n belangrike faktor in die leesproses is. Om leesmotivering effektief te ondersteun, is dit nuttig om die navorsing oor leesmotivering en -betrokkenheid te oorweeg.Aspects that influence children's reading motivationLiteracy is generally and conventionally defined as the ability to read and write at the level of skills required for effective communication. It is, however, a well-known fact that South African learners on average have such a low reading proficiency that more than 60% of them are not able to read fluently and with comprehension.This dire state of affairs has been confirmed by international and national reading surveys like The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls 2011). In addition to the Pirls study, other national and international studies also confirm the poor reading proficiency of South African learners.