Encouraging Reading

Parents come up with all kinds of ideas to encourage their children to read. If you have a reluctant reader, the main thing is to be persistent but not pushy. Though for the modern child reading often must be monitored and required, reading should be enjoyable, not a chore. Help your child find something s/he will like reading.

Here are some ideas for alternate reading materials for reluctant readers.
* Magazines (list of teen favorites: LINK TO LIST)
* Newspapers (The sports, entertainment, and comics pages are a hit.)
* Comic Books (Calvin & Hobbes, Garfield, and The Far Side are popular at FRMS)
* Manga
* Graphic Novels (for reviews: http://www.noflyingnotights.com/index2.html)
* Fact books (World Records, etc.)
* How-to Books (For making or learning about something of interest)
* Collections of short stories (Chicken Soup, etc.)
* Scary Stories (collections of, Goosebumps, etc)
* Inquiry/Investigation Books (About why things are, how things work, interesting information, etc. Try: Do Fish Drink Water?)

 

Top teen books for reluctant readers  http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/quickpicks/quickpicksreluctant.cfm

Tips for parents to encourage teens to read
http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/tip.mspx?View=18

Help in determining what kind of problem your reluctant reader is facing.
Most children who don’t want to read don’t want to read because it is difficult for them. Some cannot “sound out” the words, some cannot read fluently, and some simply don’t have the vocabulary.
http://www.readingrockets.org/helping/target

Reading is not all it used to be or only what it used to be
Reading web pages and online is reading! Many teens still read quite a bit.
http://www.mspmag.com/education/raisingreaders/raisingreaderssep06/34326.asp

Invaluable tips and tricks for raising readers at home
Browse topics such as creating reading spaces, encouraging struggling readers, and tips for seasonal reading.
http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/default.mspx 

Misunderstood Minds: Reading
This PBS site is written especially for parents of struggling readers.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/readingstrats.html

Tips to Encourage Reading for Parents—American Library Association
Read an article written especially to help parents incorporate literacy into everyday activities and stay connected with their teens.
http://www.peel.edu.on.ca/parents/tips/documents/tip-literacysec.pdf