We’ve all heard how important reading and reading to your kids is. Study after study proves the benefits of reading and the earlier you start reading to your kids, the better. But reading doesn’t come easy for everyone and not all kids enjoy it. I’m writing this from the point of view of a child who really despised reading. You couldn’t get me to read a book if you had Justin Beiber waiting for me at the end. And THAT is saying something!
As a small child my parents would read to me sporadically, but my older sister read to me more. She was a very advanced reader and frankly, loved to read. Me? Get the book away. This, of course, affected a lot of my education throughout the years. I was behind in comprehension, I didn’t want to read in reading groups in school and I was embarrassed that I didn’t like reading like my friends did.
It wasn’t until I became a teacher myself that something clicked. It wasn’t ME that was the problem, it was the material that I was reading, and how it was being presented to me. In school, kids are given material to read and the teacher says “read this and answer 3 questions”. At home, parents say, “go to the couch and read for 20 minutes”. Well, first off, I was not doing that. And second, I just couldn’t do it alone. I was so far in the hole at that point that I had no idea what I was reading.
When I taught 5th grade, I flipped the script completely. I let the students decide how they were going to retain the information. You want to listen to me read it? Sure. You want to read it with a small group? You got it. You want to echo read? Let’s do it. Their test scores FLOURISHED. Meet your kids where they’re at, especially when it comes to reading. Pressuring a child to read backfires…and quickly. I flipped the script for myself too. I started reading books that I was interested in, that were meant for me. (Don’t get me wrong, I understand kids have to read books in school that are mandated.) I also allowed myself to read in different environments rather than just in the library, or reading just for studying purposes. And that is all because I encouraged myself to “read outside the box”.
Kindle tracks how many books you read in a year–it’s September and I’ve already read over 40 books. I love reading now!
1. Give them total freedom of choice. I have to speak on this. One year, I had 25 students and the class was reading 10 different books–which meant I had to read 10 different books, too. And that’s OK! Because if that meant they were going to comprehend better because it fit their mold, then so be it.
2. Share the reading aloud. Go back and forth and take turns. They can read with parents, grandparents, siblings or with other friends or family members.
3. Change the environment in which the child reads. Let them read anywhere that is comfortable or fun. Some ideas include the library, a book store, the living room, their bedroom, in bed before they fall asleep, in a fort, under their bed, in a beanbag, outside, etc. You could even create a reading nook/area somewhere in your home to make it fun.
4. Keep the reading sessions short. Adjust the time based on the child and their attention span. It could be done all at once or you could spread them out. It could be 5 minutes during breakfast, 5 minutes before shower, 5 minutes in bed. A goal of reading for 15-20 minutes per weekday is ideal.
5. Use rewards. I put this last because I’m not advocating for bribing children. But, sometimes it can be helpful for there to be an incentive. It could be a very small reward. For example, on page 20 put a fruit snack. Page 25 another one, page 30, one more. They’ll be anxious to get to those pages. BUT, be careful because depending on the child, they may want to rush through the reading. Or, you could give rewards for each book they read. Keeping a list to keep track of the books could be fun, too. (Similar to the summer reading programs at libraries.) You could put a star sticker beside each book they complete on their list (for some kids, a star sticker might be enough!). For others, a treat like going to Chic-Fil-A, a toy they’ve been wanting, or $1 for each book they read (or after they’ve read a certain number of books) may be a better incentive for them. It will depend on the child and your budget.
