Summer Reading: Encouraging a Reluctant Reader

Summer:  long days, lazy days, no school, splashing in the pool, racing through the yard, no school, reading… WAIT… I thought you said no school!  For some, reading is synonymous with long summer days, with time spent visiting far-off places, meeting new friends, having new adventures… but for others, reading is work, it’s a struggle, it is NOT FUN!  It’s too much like school! 

Parenting a reluctant reader is particularly difficult if you, the parent, are a reader!  How could my child NOT enjoy reading?  What is there not to enjoy?  Well, let’s see.  To read, you have to sit relatively still; this is difficult for some children.  To read, you have to figure out the little black marks on the page; this is difficult for some children.  To enjoy reading, you have to enjoy what you are reading; this is not always the case.

So, how do you encourage your reluctant reader to sit, decode, and enjoy?

Find books that are appropriate for his reading level.  If books are too hard, they take too much effort to decode, comprehension suffers, and enjoyment is zapped!  One fast and simple way to assure your child chooses books at his reading level is called the Rule of Thumb.  Simply have him read one page of a book to you.  As he reads, hold up one finger for every mistake he makes.  If you get to your thumb before he has finished reading, that book is too hard for him to read independently.  Save it for reading aloud.

Don’t move to chapter books too quickly.  There are some fantastic chapter books out there… and often, book-loving parents can’t wait for their son or daughter to jump in and enjoy all of those books “we loved as kids.”  Reluctant readers, however, are often intimidated by the sheer number of words on a page in chapter books.  Picture books are not just for preschool and kindergarten.  There are a number of picture books written on middle elementary and even upper elementary reading levels.  Find some of these and enjoy them!  Oftentimes, the art work alone will draw your reluctant reader into the story.  

Find books in line with his interests.  If he is fascinated by frogs, find a book on frogs.  If he enjoys reciting facts, find a child’s almanac or book of facts  It’s fine to encourage your child to read classics, but if he’s fighting you tooth and nail when you tell him to go read Treasure Island, let him read a comic book, a magazine, a cereal box.  Reading is developmental.  Reading improves with practice.  If your child reads… no matter what he reads… his reading will improve.  Once his reading has improved, THEN he will be ready to dive into some of your old-time favorites.

Encourage your child to read by reading with him.   Children, especially new or reluctant readers, may be easily distracted, fatigued, or discouraged when reading.  In order to help him discover the fun in reading, read along with him.  Take turns reading: you read one page, he reads one page or, even better, read together.  Choral reading, both Mom and child reading the same passage aloud at the same time, encourages children to read more fluently and helps them to work more easily through unfamiliar words.

Set a reading example.  Too often, we expect our children to sit and read while we are doing something else:  laundry, cooking, mending… all important, yes, but this just might set the wrong example for a reluctant reader who would also rather be doing something other than reading.  Instead, try establishing a daily family reading time.  Take coffee and juice outside for an early morning reading session.  Sit in the family room with Dad before bedtime for a sunset reading session.  I know, summers are busy, so be creative, find what works for your family.  Why not spend 15 minutes reading during break time at the local pool?

Reward reading.  While a book-loving parent might be apt to think that reading is itself reward enough, for the reluctant reader, it’s simply not.  There are some wonderful summer reading programs that reward children for finishing a set number of books during the summer months.  There are also some good year-long reading programs and on-line sites that encourage and reward reading once summer ends and the kids are heading back to school.  Be sure to inquire as to summer reading programs and/or children’s book clubs the next time you are at your local library.  Oftentimes, libraries have a varitey of programs designed to encourage children of all ages to read!

Relax and Read!  If your child is still reluctant to read independently, relax, don’t push, don’t discourage him even more.  Instead, just sit down and read to him.  There is nothing like the time spent cuddled on the couch reading together.  We are convinced that our now nine-year-old could read long before he let us know he could.  We saw little signs that he knew more than he was letting on, but independent reading time remained a constant struggle… until one day, he shared in his own little way, that he was worried if he could read on his own, we would no longer read together.  Not a chance, kiddo!  Not a chance!

Listen!  And when you truly don’t have the time to sit and read, do the next best thing.  Listen to a great book on CD.  My boys can’t wait to get in the car for our hour-long drives to the farm each week through the summer because it means STORYTIME!  Audiobooks are the perfect way to convince a reluctant reader that books actually contain stories worth the effort it takes to read them.  Listen to classics.  Listen to books with beautiful language, colorful characters, and fascinating adventures!

And in the end, even your reluctant reader will admit to enjoying summer reading!