Reluctant Readers

On the subject of getting children to read, I have a few suggestions.

1. Don’t make reading sound like something you have to do to get on well at school. Not many ten year olds see that as a priority.

2. Do make it sound like fun. And if it is such fun, lead by example. Read some books that were written for children yourself. You may find you enjoy them, and your enthusiasm will be catching.

3. Don’t rush them through the various stages of reading. If they love Picture Books, let them read Picture Books. I heard a Dad in a bookshop recently castigating his seven year old for wanting to buy Penguin by Polly Dunbar.

“Buy a book for big boys,” he said. “How are you ever going to learn anything reading baby books like that?”

That kind of attitude is what stops children reading, in my humble (well, maybe not so humble!) opinion. Picture books are wonderful, and remember there are now Picture Books for every age.  Some are called Graphic Novels , but it amounts to the same thing. Let them read what they want to read. Comics, Enid Blyton, Horrid Henry, the back of the cornflake box. It’s all reading and they will move on, when they are ready.

4. Don’t assume that they will love the books that you loved as a child. Sometimes the language is too archaic (sorry!).  Even Enid Blyton can be challenging for some children because the English is so formal, in a lot of ways. My favourite book as a child was The Secret Garden and I bought it for my daughter when she was seven years old, because in my memory, that was the age at which I read it. . She finally read it when she was twelve, which is probably the age I actually was when I read it. Memory is deceptive.

4. If they are reluctant readers, always let them read something that is EASY for them to read. Don’t worry about what their friends are reading. If your thirteen year old still likes to read The Wimpy Kid, encourage that. This is not a competition, and children develop at different rates. A child who likes The Wimpy Kid like humorous books. Build on that. Have a look at the lists on my blog for ideas.

5. If your child really resists and won’t read at all, read to them. Read to them from when their eyes can focus, and keep reading to them. If they stop reading, read to them. If they don’t have time, read to them. As young teenagers, read to them if they will let you. When our twelve year old son stopped reading, my husband read His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman,  to him. They both became Pullman fans for life and the teenager rediscovered books.

6. Relax. Teach them to see books as a treat from the earliest days. After all, that is what they were always meant to be.