Hand a kid a flashlight and a book, turn off the lights, and tell them they can stay up ten extra minutes if they read under the covers. You've just turned reading from an obligation into a secret mission.

The magic is in the transgression. Reading at a desk is homework. Reading under the covers with a flashlight after bedtime is rebellion. Same activity, completely different emotional framing. Kids who resist reading during the day will beg for flashlight reading because it feels like they're getting away with something.

Pro tip: Don't check on them. The illusion of sneaking is the whole point. If you knock on the door and say "are you reading?" you've just turned it back into homework.