Reading is an essential skill all parents want their children to learn.
Plus, of course, we also want our young ones to not only be able to read, but to do so often and to enjoy the process.
Unfortunately, though, many kids struggle with reading for a variety of reasons (such as dyslexia) or become reluctant readers due to other factors.
Before you despair, keep in mind that there are a variety of steps you can take to encourage and support your children today and into the future, so they’re more likely to read well and often.
Lead by Example
It’s hard to get your kids to commit to regular reading if they don’t see you engaging in the activity.
Reluctant readers, in particular, need to see their parents reading for both pleasure and necessity throughout the week so they can tell it’s an essential and enjoyable exercise.
Rather than keeping all your reading time to your bedtime or before your kids get up in the morning, find times during the day when you can engage your children with other activities and let them know it’s your sacred reading time.
If it’s important to you, kids are more likely to want to follow suit.
Give Kids Access to Suitable Books and Helpful Resources
Make sure your children have access to suitable books.
When they’re reluctant readers, you don’t want to push them too hard with content that’s above their current abilities, making them feel like a failure. Instead, choose books you know they can handle, even if it might take them a little while to get through each one.
It helps to buy leveled books for kids designed to suit readers at various stages in their reading journeys.
Also, if your child struggles to read due to dyslexia, a learning difficulty, or a related problem, or if they are noticeably auditory learners or kinaesthetic ones, support them with other helpful resources.
For example, you can buy books formatted on set papers and with particular fonts that are easier for dyslexic children to read.
As well, kids who learn better when sound or touch are involved might find reading more fun if they can listen to audio books, or get exposed to stories that come with puppets, lift the flaps, or other sensory details.
Help Your Children Select Books They’re Interested In
As adults, if we’re told we have to read something that isn’t of interest to us, we tend to put the activity off as long as possible.
The same is true of kids. Try to force them to read books that don’t pique their interest in the slightest, and you’re only setting them up for a battle.
Instead, allow children to select books featuring topics they’re passionate about or want to learn about.
You can also give them access to books with writing styles that appeal to them, such as epistolary books or free verse novels, or in formats that suit their preferences, such as comic books, graphic novels, or other highly illustrated books.
Plus, consider different types of non-fiction products, too, like how-to, browsable, narrative, or expository literature.
Take the Pressure Off
Another way to encourage and support reluctant readers is to take the pressure off.
Rather than continually reminding children that they must read to improve their skills, which keeps their minds on their struggles, try to make it fun.
Don’t force kids to fit in reading at the end of a long day when they’re tired and unable to think or concentrate clearly.
Encourage them to read when they’re more alert and make sure they have the time to fit this activity into their busy schedules.
Add Reading into Everyday Life
Kids often get turned off reading because it feels like such a big deal that they do it.
It helps, then, to look for times when you can add reading into your child’s everyday life without fanfare.
For example, have kids read menus, catalogs, online content, product labels, shopping lists, advertisements, letters, postcards, charts, and anything else that’s relevant.
Plus, if your child loves certain movies, TV shows, or games, look for reading material relating to the characters and subject matters in these stories.
This step helps build connections between a child’s interests and reading.
Many young people struggle with reading and simply don’t like the practice, so you’re not the only parent wondering how to change your kid’s reluctant mindset.
However, progress is possible, and if you get proactive and try some new techniques, such as those listed above, you should find solutions that help your child become an avid reader.