Encouraging Reluctant Readers!

It is very difficult as a parent who loves books and reading to understand a child whom is a reluctant reader. Your not alone! There are many parents and kids in the same situation. Frustrations can quickly arise when a reluctant reading wants nothing to do with books and reading and a parent feels as if they have exhausted all options and in their attempts to encourage reading.

Below are some tips that may help bring out the inner reader in children. With plenty of patience and the right resources on hand, a reluctant reading may grow to love books and become an avid reader.

Tips for Parents to Encourage Reluctant Readers:

Create the right enviroment
Reluctant readers need a safe and comfortable place to read, a small corner in the home would suffice. The area should include a comfortable place to sit such as a bean bag chair, excellent lighting, no distractions such as the TV and the area should be relatively quiet. Kids love to have their own private space and encouraging a reluctant reader includes a space where the reader can call their own where no one will bother them or invade their space. Sit reading materials in several quiet corners around the house suitable as a reading nook. Start a book basket or shelf in your childs room with a reading light.

Books for Reluctant Readers
Books need to hold a reader's interest especially a reluctant reader, finding a child's interest is of most importance and then choosing books geared towards that interest really helps to engage the child. If kids enjoy humor, some great choices are: Usborne Books, Dr. Seuss, Junie B. Jones and Captain Underpants. Graphic novels are also a great choice for reluctant readers especially boys, boys seem drawn to the graphic novels, they are very similar to a comic book read which is something many kids find very appealing. Magazines are also a great choice for reluctant readers, keep in mind the idea is to get the child to read no matter the type of literature being offered as long as it is appropriate, of course. Although as a parent, you may not find the reading material quite that appealing, keep in mind what is of interest to your child and not you. There are so many choices of books for reluctant readers, find your child's niche and run with it!

Parents as Readers
How many times have we heard that kids learn from what they see, as a role model to your child it is essential that a child sees their parent as a reader. Parents have very hectic schedules and sometimes it can be difficult to sit down for even a minute much less take the time to sit down to read but making reading in the home a priority is a choice a parent has to make and this includes sitting down to read while the child is reading. Reluctant readers especially need to see a parent, adult and/or care taker purposely sitting down to read, this small step of modeling can make all the difference in the world to a child and help to change the child from a reluctant reader to the best reader.

Books for Readers Should be at Their Level- Skill & age appropriate
One of the most discouraging aspects for a reader especially a reluctant reader is giving the child a book that is way too low for their level or worse yet, way too high. Discussing with the child's teacher the approximate reading level of the child would be beneficial and the teacher can most likely offer suggestions of books at the child's reading level. While you have the teacher in your presence, it may be helpful to ask of any reading strategies the teacher can suggest for you as a parent to work on at home with your child. If the teacher is not available or a teacher discussion is not an option, an easy and simple way to find out if a book is at a good reading level for your child is to do the five finger method which I have used over and over again with my students in the classroom. The idea is to have a child read one page out of a book, if they cannot read a word, they should put their finger on the word. If their five fingers are each on a word, the book is most likely too difficult. Kid's really understand this and it is a very tactile experience so kids typically remember how to check themselves for a book's compatibility with their own reading level.
Another aspect of this, is you may find books that are the right skill level for your child but the content may be for an age group that is not appropriate for your child. It will take some time and research to find books that will be satisfying on both levels if your child is behind or advanced in reading skill for his or her age/skill group.

Talk Lots about the Book
The best way to encourage comprehension of a book and gain an understanding of what your child is reading is by simply talking with them and asking lots of questions about the story. Kids love telling about stories and kids feel so special when a parent shows interest in something they are doing. Children should not always be required to write a report or do a diagram after a book is read, sometimes it is just fun to talk about a book and it really helps to engage a reluctant reader if they know they do not have to do some type of activity after reading the story. Many times discussing the book will draw out more information than a report or diagram would, reluctant readers really appreciate a discussion as opposed to a writing activity.

Books that offer more than words
Interactive books that make reading fun and entertaining are great choices for reluctant readers. Books that have search and find pages, puzzles, various activities, mysteries to solve and so on. Not everyone learns in the same manner. There's sight, hearing, and touch learners..Finding out what combination your child is and including books that contain those attributes will be a great help as well. Examples- books that have touchy-feely pages or books that have sound buttons.

High Picture to Text Ratio
The more graphics the better for many kids, especially reluctant readers. It helps many people if they have a visual to relate to something, this is due to many people being visual learners.