Help! How do I get my reluctant readers to love books?

Question

My kids are home from school and need to keep up with their reading, but the library is closed! They always say they hate to read. How can I help my kids to "get lost" in a book like I do?

Answer 1

Reading can be difficult for many students, particularly when there are so many digital distractions that seem like so much fun. I agree with several of the answers already posted in response to your question:

1. Audiobooks: always a great option and can be a perfect way to get an active child to integrate more literature into their daily routine
2. Allow them to select their own books: age appropriateness can sometimes be an issue here when looking at books online (like anything else online) but it will help them tailor things to their own interests.
3. Books based on movies or television series: if your children have a favorite t.v. series, movie, or video game, check and see if it has a novelization. This way they can continue learning about a world and characters they already love.
4. Books that inspired a television series or movie: Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, and even regular old Fairy Tales have all inspired popular films that your children will be aware of. Reading the novels that helped shaped their favorite films can be a fun way to see where those beloved stories originated and could inspire a discussion about the differences between the two genres.
5. Finishing a book when it seems hard: I'll be honest, I had a lot of difficulty with reading when I was in elementary school. I hated it and I would start book after book only to put them down because I got bored or it seemed to difficult to finish. Things turned around for me in 3rd grade when my "mean old teacher" sat me down and made me finish a book. It took me a solid six months but once I finished one whole book, reading became easier and I was able to et past whatever mental block I had in place that made reading so hard for me. Now, as an adult, I read everyday and it's an integral part of my life.

Answer 2

Supporting your kids in continuing to read is probably the most important work parents can do to support their children's academic growth during this strange time! Here are a few ideas that I hope will help.

1. Try to maintain a reading schedule. For example, in the morning time kids could have 20-45 minutes of book reading. In the afternoon they could read online materials for 20-45 minutes. In the evening, they could read with a family member for 20-45 minutes.
2. Help your child find books that they are able to read independently. If a book is extremely challenging for a student, then it's possible that they will lose focus. In certain cases, if a student is very excited to read a challenging book, they will be able to maintain focus and read for longer periods of time. However, usually challenging books require some scaffolding.
3. To find books at the right level, you can ask your child to read several pages aloud to you. If they struggle to decode more than 5 words per page, the book might be too challenging right now. You can also check with their classroom teacher and ask for their reading level and/or book recommendations. Here is a
4. Books series tend to be very engaging for students. Here is a list by reading level: https://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/universityparkES/Documents/2016%20Series%20by%20Guided%20Reading%20Level.pdf
5. Reading stamina is how long your child can focus on reading in one sitting. Reading stamina is like a muscle. Through consistent practice your child will be able to read for a longer amount of time. You can make this into a game. First, explain to your child that you are going to time how long they are able to read in a focused way. Make sure that they understand they need to be reading the words and thinking about what they are reading during this time. You can stop the timer when you notice them fidgeting or have them let you know. Maintain a daily reading stamina chart so you and your child can celebrate their increasing reading stamina.
6. Make a special reading place for your child. Some kids love curling up on the couch to read. Some kids love to read outside. Some kids love to make a nook for themselves on the floor.
7. Use online sources. Check out https://newsela.com/. There are articles about every topic imaginable and you can adjust the text difficulty.

Let me know if you have any more questions. I would love to help!

Answer 3

Encouraging Ravenous Readers

As a parent and a teacher, I have found that the most important way to help children fall in love with reading is to let them follow their interests, whatever they may be. While we would all love our kids to pour over the mystery series or science books we loved in our youth, they may actually be more inclined towards Captain Underpants or Yu-Gi-Oh! We need to recognize their individuality and their need to follow their own path in what they read… at least at first.

Your child needs to know that you want them to read more for two main reasons: FUN and LEARNING. Once they get the idea that reading can be enjoyable, they can use it as a tool in increasing their abilities in all aspects of their education (but you can keep that latter part to yourself, for now!)

BRAINSTORM! Have a lighthearted brainstorming session with your child about his or her interests. Writing down their thoughts shows them that you are taking their opinions seriously. You can write on a regular sheet of paper, or on a big chart or whiteboard on a wall. If your child is not reading at all, you may want to draw pictures of their suggestions. If your child is willing, he or she might want to write or draw the list, perhaps with a special pen or pencil of their choice. This should not be a stressful time. Do not correct your child’s spelling unless asked to. As long as you can “read” what they wrote, that is fine.

If your child says they can’t think of any topics, suggest some of the following. Start with general ideas and get more specific as your child follows his or her ideas.

SUBJECTS to start with:

1. Animals (get more specific: Animals with Backbones, Mammals, Big Cats, etc...)
2. Pets (how animals got domesticated, general care, breeds…)
3. Sports (team or individual, history of the Olympics, individual athletes…)
4. Superheroes (comics or graphic novels, Marvel/DC, kid hero series…)
5. Mysteries (old school: Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew; newer series at various reading levels…)
6. Crafts (paper airplanes, origami, jewelry making, Shrinky Dinks…)
7. Drawing (Ed Emberley cartoons; step-by-step characters; contour drawing…)
8. LEGO (how-to-make, stories about LEGO heroes, encyclopedias…)
9. Space (travel, astronauts, including women and people of color, planets, black holes…)
10. Construction (vehicles, occupations, design and engineering, bridges, etc…)
11. Please add your own ideas in response to this question!

PLEASE NOTE: Your child might show a great deal of interest in books far above or below his or her reading level. This is normal and expected. Children need the comfort of books they have heard or read a million times to let them know that reading is safe and “doable.” (With my son, it was The Little Engine That Could that I read more times than I could count… I can happily relate that he graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA, after what seemed like just a few years later!) 

If your child wants to pour over an encyclopedia of Star Wars characters, that’s great! He or she may be able to read very few of the words, but may start to ask you to read to them. Point out what a title and caption are… Show them the Table of Contents, Glossary and Index, if available. Perhaps they may start to read the titles and captions, or not. The point is that they are interested in the subject of the book. You may be able to find some lower-level readers on the same subject.

Reading in the Age of Distance Learning

My ability to get my children interested in books involved a lot of trips to our local library. However, many of us are currently under Stay at Home orders due to our need to keep ourselves and our communities safe. 

What does this mean for the average parent? The kids are suddenly home, and you are still trying to make a living. If your school has sent home packets or online lessons, what should you do? First of all, remember that we are all in the same boat. We all want our children and their friends to be SAFE, and to KEEP ON LEARNING. 

1. Have your child go through the books, board games, and craft or science kits that have gravitated to the back of the closet or the bottom of the toy bin. Reading rules of a game counts as reading!
2. Cook with your child. Recipes need to be read! Your child can make a shopping list, even in their own “inventive spelling”. Writing and reading go hand in hand.
3. Look for online books from your library. Like you, our community resource providers are scrambling to navigate the brave new world of Distance Learning. It may take a while for them to ramp up giving access to a public they can’t communicate with in person, or to whom they can’t loan physical books.
4. If it is available to you, order books online or on an e-reader.
5. Take turns reading aloud. The series, You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You, by Mary Ann Hoberman, is a wonderful way to share some rhyming giggles with young readers.
6. Read a more complicated chapter book to your children as a reward, or a nightly story. Note: Be aware that some of the most popular series, such as Harry Potter, may contain some moments that you don’t want your child to be thinking of as they try to fall asleep. If possible, preview the chapters ahead of time.

This is a trying time for all families. Give yourself and your children time to get used to the unusual circumstances we are all in. Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

Peace,

Barbara

Answer 4

This is a tough question - I went through the same thing with my kids! Part of the challenge today is that there are so many competing technologies for their attention. Games, videos, and chatting are so immersive and require less mental energy than reading.

Depending on your kids' ages, there are lots of storybook type games for tablets that might draw them in because they incorporate reading with gaming. This allows them to become more proficient at reading and comprehension and may make transitioning to other reading less painful :) Often kids don't like reading because they face problems with comprehension and are embarrassed to say anything.

One idea that has worked well for us is we allow our kids to pick out whatever book they want online and we order it (be sure to check the used sections, there are great deals!) Because it's their book of choice, they are more invested in it than ones they get for Christmas, etc.

Another idea that has worked is to ask them to read out loud to you. My daughter is so social that she loves to have our attention. She likes to read but doesn't like to read alone. We will often ask her to bring a book to the kitchen as we prepare dinner. It also allows us to question her as she reads with some metacognitive questions like, "Why do you suppose she is sad?" or "Do you like that character right now?" It allows her to reflect on what she's read.

Just a couple ideas - I hope they're helpful! Good luck!

Answer 5

Hello! I have found that kids who have a hard time reading books, enjoy other ways of taking in information. One way that I have found effective is audiobooks!

The service I recommend for audiobooks is Audible -- which is owned by Amazon. Because of the COVID-19 situation, they are offering free streams on a select number of children's stories across six languages to keep kids entertained. This service will be available for as long as schools are closed. The books are separated into six categories: "Littlest Listeners," "Elementary," "Tween," "Teen," "Literary Classics" and "Folk & Fairy Tales for All."

Let me know if you need any specific book recommendations :)