How to Get Your Child to Read More

Have you ever wondered what you can do to help your child read more?

Maybe your child is not in the habit of reading OR maybe your child is having a difficult time reading.

Often struggling readers are not excited to read. I can’t say that I blame them. I don’t like doing things that are particularly challenging for me either!

Sometimes children don’t like to read because they haven’t found a GENRE of book that interests them.

Other children have too many distractions around them to be interested in reading. Do screens and toys keep your child from reading?

Whatever the case may be, children avoid reading for DIFFERENT reasons.

What can YOU, as the parent, do to encourage your child to read?

1. Share interesting books with your child.

Consider books that have particularly interesting illustrations or books with some rhyme or humor. You might have a child who is really into science topics. In that case, you may choose to get some nonfiction books about science that interest your child. If your child is a fluent reader who has not yet begun to read longer chapter books, consider providing more opportunities to read graphic novels. Graphic novels are books that have a comic book element in them. They are filled with pictures and sketches, but still have words and are thicker. Graphic novels helped my son realize that HE CAN sit down and read and focus and enjoy a story without it being a punishment. I don’t let him read ONLY graphic novels, however. I think it would be limiting, so I recommend that you keep that in check and expose your child to other types of chapter books as time goes on.

When I say SHARE interesting books, that can mean several things. It can mean that you make those books available, keeping them out and within view of your child to pick up and start to read. (Some parents have a book basket or spread books out on a table where the front can be seen). It can mean that you make time to sit down and read to your child and cultivate a love of reading. It can also mean that you share reading, taking turns reading pages with your child.

We find most of our interesting books from the library. They are novel to us because we don’t see them all the time at home.

2. Set a time and place for reading.

Did you ever intend to do something over and over, but you never got around to it? Sadly, that can happen with giving our child opportunities to read. I have had to specifically BLOCK OUT TIME FOR MY CHILD TO READ. Sometimes it’s quiet time, such as when younger siblings are taking a nap.

If my child is an early reader (or basically in any grade under 4th grade) I listen to him read aloud. That lets me know if he’s getting the words correct if his reading is smooth (or fluent) and allows me to ask questions to check his understanding. Occasionally, I still check in with my older reader and allow him to read aloud to me—it’s just not as often as it is with my younger children.

The ideal is to read for 20 minutes a day, but that might have to be an average for your child. If you have a crazy day and your child only got to do it for 7 minutes, then make that time up on another day or on the weekend. Learning shouldn’t stop just because it is the weekend. Do YOU stop the skill of reading just because it’s a weekend? Of course not. You read online. You read signs. You read messages on your phone. Stopping reading practice over the weekend can cause your child slower growth in reading. Twenty minutes a day is fantastic, but any amount of time is better than nothing at all.

3.Try reading shorter and easier leveled books.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t challenge your child. However, the topic of this post is about kids who don’t want to read for one reason or another. Usually those children aren’t looking for more challenging material.

So if your child isn’t used to reading long books, it might be why he is fighting you on reading. Your child may lack STAMINA, in which case a shorter book or book with shorter chapters might help. It gives a sense of progress when reading. A book with larger font text can also encourage reading.

My tutoring students have come to me time after time with a book that is MUCH TOO DIFFICULT. No wonder the children were discouraged and didn’t want to sit down to read! They struggled with a word every few sentences or so. If your child reads aloud a page and is missing 4 words or more, it is too high of a level for him (at least for now). That number can flex a bit depending on the size of the book. For a smaller picture book, you don’t want him to miss even 4 words. For more ideas on how to tell if a book is too difficult or just right, be sure to read what I have to say about GOOD FIT BOOKS.

4. Offer rewards and praise.

When your child does not want to read, that is a behavior you want to improve. If you catch your child doing the right thing (in this case, reading) give a word of encouragement. Ask your child if he is enjoying the book or how he feels after reading that many pages. You can keep a chart with stickers or checks for each day your child reads just to keep track. You might only start with 5 or 10 minutes of reading, but you can gradually make that time longer as your child builds stamina. Honestly, I have never made it to this level with my own children. By providing quality literature and spending time reading with my children, we have figured out how best to entice the children to pick up a good book, read it, and enjoy it! It will eventually become a habit.

One of the special rewards my son and I enjoyed was reading chapter books that had movies based on them. We would watch the movie together when the book was finished. Naturally, we’d compare what was alike or different. I started by reading the majority of those books aloud to him. Gradually, I allowed him to read more and more pages, doing buddy reading. Now, he doesn’t even need a book with a movie nor does he need me to buddy read with him. He still enjoys when I read something aloud, but at times he wants to read an interesting part of his book aloud to me!

Do you have ideas that have helped motivate your child to read more?

Leave a comment below!

Remember, YOU are your child’s most influential teacher.