Tips for Reluctant Readers
Reading has numerous benefits: improved literacy, improved vocabulary, improved imagination, and many more. But what do you do if your child isn’t as enthusiastic about reading as you are? How can you help them?I have experienced this, and whilst I'm no expert, these are the things that have worked for me, and will hopefully help you too. Here are my five tips on how you can aid your child in their reading journey.
1. Set a Routine
Children thrive on routine. Pick a time of day that you’ll read together and stick to it.For example, cuddle up before bedtime and read a bedtime story every night or grab some books during afternoon quiet time and take turns reading pages to each other.
One thing my daughter used to do is put on a show by reading aloud from her books then acting it out with her toys, it was part of her game.
If it’s the same every day, it will become expected.
2. Read Aloud
If your reluctant reader doesn’t want to read themselves, try reading aloud to them instead. They are still experiencing the different sounds the words make and they’ll be imagining the story in their heads.Trail your finger across the words as you say them so that they can see the word you’re saying as you say it, and if there are pictures, point out things of interest as you read about them.
All of these small details are the first steps in helping your child to understand literacy and how words work. .
3. Start Slow
No matter what your child’s age, if they’re not a natural reader, reading an entire book can seem daunting, whether it's a picture book or a chapter book, so start off small. Maybe pick out the odd word and ask them to sound it out, then progress to alternating sentences between you, then paragraphs, then pages. Before you know it, they’ll be reading the whole book to you!If moving onto the next stage is causing stress, just go back a stage or read aloud to them again for a little while. Try to make sure that the experience stays enjoyable and relaxing for your child.
4. Incorporate it into everyday life
Reading doesn’t always have to come from books. As an example, my son loves football, he has learned to read a lot of place names from reading the Premier League table. This then progressed to road signs, ‘Manchester like Manchester Utd!’ and then me asking, ‘Can you read anything else on that sign?’.This can work in so many ways when you’re out and about - helping with the shopping by reading shopping lists and then finding the items in the shop, making words out of registration plates when you’re in the car, reading street names when walking to the shop.
This may reduce the anxiety of sitting down and reading a book aloud.
5. Model Reading Habits
Make sure your children see you read, and if that’s not possible, leave the book you’re reading lying around so they can see that you do read. Tell them about the stories (obviously tweaking for little ears) and the characters and the bits you like the most. If they see and know that you read, they are more likely to think that it’s a part of every day life.Also, make sure books are available to them all day, every day. You never know when boredom might strike and they decide to pick up a book and read to themselves. If they're not available, they won't be an option.
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