Wrangling Reluctant Readers--Part 1

One of the most common questions I am asked by parents is:

My child doesn't like to (or won't) read. How can I encourage him/her to read without feeling like I'm pulling teeth?

For whatever reason, there are some children who are just reluctant to read. Maybe they have never been exposed to books that speak to them at their level or that engage their imagination. Maybe they come from a home where reading for pleasure isn't a priority. Contrary to popular belief, that's FINE. Not everyone is passionate about reading! However, reading is fundamental in building critical thinking skills at a young age. Since children are required to read for school, children who read reluctantly will struggle to understand the importance that reading has in their success in school (and beyond) if they don't have support at home.

So let's start with a truth that can be difficult to swallow for many caregivers: no matter how much you would like it to be, the answer is never just thrusting a book into the hands of a child. Even if it was your favorite book in the world when you were that age, you are gunning for failure if you try. You aren't raising a tiny clone of yourself--you're raising a human being, with their own likes, dislikes, opinions, and feelings. They may love the same books you did, but the reality is that they might not, and you can't force them to love it no matter how passionate you are.

But before we get into repairing an existing problem, let's start with prevention. A great way to ensure that your child wants to read is by making sure that reading is a normal part of your routine at home from the get-go. As early as infancy, children are intrigued by what their family members are doing, and reading is absolutely no exception. If they see you playing on your phone or watching television every evening, that is what they will want to do as well--children are imitating what they see, all the time. So consider setting a time every day to turn off all screens and pick out a book to read together. Make the book choice as a family; it can be a picture book, non-fiction book, comics, chapter book, or even an audiobook. The purpose is to just read (or listen), think, and discuss what you are reading. There's no right or wrong to it, just pick something you all will enjoy!

https://blog.alihuda.com/7-benefits-of-family-reading-time/

As you read together, talk about what happened the last time you read or what occurred in a previous chapter. Talk about what you're reading now, and discuss what you think might happen next if that's possible. Compare this book to others you have read, either by the same author or with similar subject matter. This requires setting aside regular, committed time, and while it doesn't have to be every single day or for an extended period of time, it does have to be consistent. It’s about the quality of reading time you have together, not the amount of time you do it. 15-20 minutes a day is absolutely perfect--and for elementary children, they may have required nighttime reading as part of their homework. This is an excellent way to keep that reading time from feeling like a chore. Just remind yourself--if you can set aside time every day or week to watch something on TV or play video games, you can easily do the same thing for family reading time. If you can do this with your readers when they are young, you're much less likely to have a reluctant reader on your hands.

What do you do if you already have one, though? Look ahead to the next segment of this blog post series: "Wrangling Reluctant Readers--Part 2"

For more ideas and information on this topic, feel free to browse the following resources:

https://www.connectionsacademy.com/support/resources/article/help-reluctant-readers-love-reading/