Today I welcome author Steve Reifman back to My Reading Room, today with his middle grade fiction offering, Chase Against Time which I will review later today. First up is a wonderful guest post from Steve on encouraging reluctant readers.
7 Ways to Encourage Reluctant Readers
by Steve Reifman
Reading is a
tremendously appealing, satisfying activity, and children will become
hooked once the adults in their lives consistently build it into their
daily schedules. The key is getting children started. The following
seven strategies will help even the most reluctant reader become more
enthusiastic about the endeavor. By employing the strategies described
below, reading will become something that students do willingly, even
eagerly, and the adults in their lives will not have to resort to
trickery, bribery, manipulation, or any other tactic that will, at best,
lead to temporary compliance. After all, we’re striving to make reading
a joyous lifelong habit.
1.
Start with the child’s passions. Children will be more excited about
reading when they can choose books or magazines related to their
interests. This suggestion is far and away the most powerful one when it
comes to encouraging those who are reluctant to read. When kids own the
choice of what they will read, motivation increases significantly.
2.
Make reading a social experience. Children who don’t enjoy reading
alone often enjoy reading with somebody else. Children can read with
their parents, siblings, other relatives, and friends. Some children
even start mini-book clubs and discuss books related to their common
interests. Asking children to read to their younger siblings and
cousins can powerfully impact their own motivation to read.
3.
Read aloud to children. Many parents regularly read aloud to their
children when they are very young, yet stop this activity as the kids
get older. Parents should read aloud to children throughout the
elementary grades. Doing so makes reading more enjoyable, improves
listening skills, builds comprehension, lengthens attention spans, and
grows the imagination.
4.
Take advantage of new technology. Children who may not find books
interesting may enjoy reading the same texts on smart phones, computers,
and electronic readers, such as the iPad or Kindle. Technology makes
everything seem cooler and more engaging to children, and we should
capitalize on this fact when it comes to reading.
5.
Be a role model to children. When children see their parents reading
frequently, discussing what they have read, and carrying books around,
they will value reading to a greater extent. The power of modeling
cannot be underestimated.
6.
Camouflage reading. Parents can increase the amount of time their
children spend reading by subtly building the activity into other,
seemingly unrelated activities. Examples include reading menus at
restaurants, reading the directions to board games, and looking at
various websites together. Children who may not yet enjoy reading for
its own sake may enjoy it tremendously when it’s incorporated into other
engaging pastimes.
7.
Be sure children read books that are appropriately challenging. Many
times kids don’t want to read simply because the books they encounter
are too difficult. This seemingly obvious point is frequently
forgotten. None of us want to encounter frustration, and we will go to
great lengths to avoid experiences that make us feel this way.
Appropriately challenging books are those in which students can fluently
read approximately 95% of the words. Encountering a small number of
difficult words can help children grow in their reading skills, but
encountering too many of these words can interfere with fluency and lead
to discouragement.
Commit
to trying one or more these ideas to help your child become a more
enthusiastic reader. Teaching the whole child means that we focus on
developing children’s academic skills, but just as important, we focus
on children’s attitudes about these skills. We want to raise children
who read well and read because they want to do it, not because they have
to do it.
About Chase Against Time
In a last-ditch
effort to save Apple Valley Elementary’s award-winning music program
from looming budget cuts, the PTA plans to auction off a
recently-donated, handcrafted cello at the school’s annual fund-raising
dinner. Confidence is high – until the cello turns up missing the
morning of the event. The school principal charges Chase Manning, a
fifth grader who has dreamed of playing in the Sixth Grade Honors
Orchestra his whole life, with finding the cello by three o’clock. Each
hour of the school day involves surprising and suspense-filled plot
turns as Chase pursues the elusive cello. This single-day, real-time
mystery thriller truly is a Chase against time!
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