Any tips for making non-readers into readers?

[rifling]

Reading is very important to me and both DH and I read a lot. My elder DS also reads a lot. My younger pre-teens don[t read at all! We live abroad and English is a second language to them although they are fluent when speaking. However, I would say that their reading skills are probably below average for their age in both languages. They both say that they hate reading and that it is boring. My elder ds has a much wider vocabulary and can express himself better and I really feel that reading would help them. Developing a love of reading would be even better! And yes, I did read to them a LOT when they were younger. Any tips for children this age?

(Mumsnet - since the update I can[t do apostrophes!! Why?)

Don't be fussy about the quality of the books they choose- far better to read fast and easily, and improve the quality later. So series do well- the equivalent of 'chalet school' for their age and interest. DS2 learned to love reading on kiddy horror. I didn't like it, but he did.

Get audio books. DS2 learned to read off the back of Harry Potter books on audio, and a series about a boy who discovers a parallel world of 'fairies'. Not cute ones, scary ones. I can't remember the name of author- it was Irish spelling.

Get games that require reading. Mine were into DS games at the time. The video games with text, board games with cards that need to be read. It all helps.

How about comics/graphic novels, or a more practical application like if they enjoy cooking with you putting them in charge of the recipe?

Getting books that they are interested in. One of my dc never used to read anything at all but I can't stop her now. She started on comics.

You need to find the right books.

I agree with finding out what interests them. I’d take mine to the library and let them loose. I agree with the graphic novels, my one DC with SEN that affects reading/writing ability started by devouring the TinTin series and then went on to adventure books and now reads history books for fun.

Boredom. I genuinely think an early bedtime and a ‘well, you can read if you’re not tired or if you wake up early’ is why my DC read a lot. It does mean making sure there are no electronics in their rooms at night, though.

I have one voracious reader and one reluctant reader. For the reluctant one Beano has made a massive difference and has acted as her gateway drug. 😁
I also still read to her to keep that vocab input up and show the importance and pleasure.

Tintin and Asterix, and such like are great.

I think for older teens/adults you just need to accept that what’s important to you isn’t important to them. Football is important for my son but to be quite honest it isn’t important to me!

For young kids I think there’s something to be said for not over entertaining them. As a kid I never had a TV or went to clubs or anything and reading was fun to me. But if I’d had an iPad to sit on/telly to gaze at/constant fun trips to be ferried to I don’t know if I’d have read as much. Also a wide variety of books. My kids read everything from Darren Shan to Ronald Dahl to The Secret Garden but no matter what books they bring back from the library (even if it’s David Walliams) I don’t say it’s rubbish etc. Even if I think it is.

I second graphic novels you can get then in different genres.
Also books aimed at older kids with lower reading abilities.
goodreads is a good place to search

Yes I introduced my DC to them as I have very fond memories as a child of loitering in the village square waiting for the biweekly mobile library van to show up and then racing to get a new TinTin or Asterix story.

Limit screen time. Not as a ‘you should be reading a book instead’ intervention but just limit in general.

Children copy. Make sure they see you reading (real books, not kindle on iPad).

As a PP said, let them read whatever they want. Beano or Brontë - as long as there are words they are interested in or have chosen.

Read to them. Even older children enjoy this.

By the way that’s not me saying don’t let them do anything else! My kids do hobbies and clubs. I just mean I notice some kids are sort of over booked! And I know when I’m so busy all the time I can’t get lost in a book.

My DS is a strong reader and enjoys it but still chooses graphic novels and comics over long books. We get the Beano and the Phoenix every week and he gets a tonne of them from the library. If you have a Kindle you can subscribe to a Kid’s thing where they get access to a load of books - there are comic books on there that mine enjoy and stupid books you wouldn’t necessarily buy like joke books. It’s all reading.

Watching with interest. I’ve tried all of the above and we have made some progress but still not reading independently except when they have to at school. I do read to them though.

When you say pre-teens, how old are you talking about? I think it’s difficult to get a twelve into reading if they’ve never been a reader before.

However, I echo about not being fussy about what they are reading. Also, do you want them to ‘read’, or just to enjoy books. If the latter, would audible books be an option? Also, don’t pressurise them.

Let them choose the books - at a good book store or library.

Graphic novels or highly illustrated books are a good place to start, because the images help with context if they don't recognise all the words without having to admit they don't know the word. Also not too many pages.

Let them choose whatever they like but suggest books that fit the above, their other interests, and are written by decent authors.

Might sound a bit picky but- there's a lot of books written by random celebrities for older children and pre teens at the moment - some are great and some are not so. They often take up the bulk of new book displays, so the kind of thing a not very engaged person might pick up first. However some are very long and not the best written - although they sell well, actually reading them can be off putting for reluctant readers.

Try and steer your kid past the displays to look at the shelves instead!

I don't think you can make them read for pleasure. Some people just enjoy different things. H, DC1 and I are all big readers. The house is filled with every kind of book, with no snobbery, and we love talking about what we're reading and planning our reading time. DC2, despite having all the skills needed, simply doesn't enjoy reading, and I think the more one pushes something that's supposed to be done "for pleasure", the more off putting it is.

We still make sure she reads a tiny amount each day, and we read to her as well, in the same way we nag DC1 into getting a minimum level of exercise.

My pre teen is the same. I suggested many books to her, but she found them all boring. The trouble was I was suggesting books that I liked, or ones that I thought she should be reading. Turns out I just wasn't suggesting any genres that she liked! I was suggesting Harry Potter, Hunger Games, books like that. But she much prefers books about tweens that she can relate to, like Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby.

She still doesn't read a lot but a few pages before bed is better than nothing.

Reading is also important to me and a big part of my life, not so much my children.
However, I read to DS1 until he was 12 , he is now 14, and I am still reading to DS2 who is 12, which we both enjoy. I think this has meant they have “read” so many different books which they would not have ever read themselves, from Sherlock Holmes to Anne of Green Gables. I have been able to share so many of my childhood favourites. You say yours are preteen, can’t you keep reading to them?
Both kids have also had comics subscriptions and they read those when they would read nothing else. DS1 was and is really picky and will read books if he is really into them (Harry Potter, Hunger Games) but will refuse to read anything else especially for the last year or so. I just keep recommending and buying him books and occasionally he will read one, although it frustrates me as I know he would enjoy some which he won’t even open. He has also enjoyed Ready Player One and Enders Game but says he is fed up of dystopias.
DS2 does read a bit more, and I have learned to just be happy he is reading - Guinness Book of Records, Diary of a Wimpy Kid etc - and try to steer him to things I think he will enjoy.
Neither of them will countenance getting books out of the library or even the school library, and I was the girl getting the maximum out every week when I was young. But they have so many other distractions now.

My DS 8 has never been naturally interested in reading but we have insisted he reads every day. It's now so part of his bedtime habit he couldn't not read at bedtime. We continue to ask him to read out loud to us every day before school. Again another routine he now won't do without.

We've had some issues recently with him not wanting to read as many books for his reading ability. He's definitely capable of books in the 9-12 category but will still want to read younger books. He couldn't read the Treehouse books more if he tried.

We've encouraged him by getting him a kids kindle. He really enjoys using it and I know 100% he is now reading books he would be put off with (due to size) if it was the physical version. It's really worth keeping an eye on prices on Amazon as they go up/down a lot.

We read a page each of a book at bedtime for at least 15 minutes. Usually I recommend! But if they don't like it after a while we change. I still do this with my 14 year old!

Thank you for all the ideas. They are 12 and we haven[t read together for a few years now. Perhaps I should insist on it again but it wasnt very successful as they could not agree on the same book or they would want the same book but at different paces and it is time consuming to read everything twice! DD actually loves going to the library and choosing books. She likes organizing her books. She even set up a book swap at school - unfortunately she just doesn[t actually read the books!!

I think I am going to have a go at insisting on reading before bed. Older DS definitely was helped by not having any electronic devices and being quite bored when his younger brother and sister came along and I was very busy with them. Looking back, that is when he really got into reading. DS12 is not quite as bad as DD because he has got into some series of books (football ones, Wimpy kid) but as soon as he finished those and he couldn[t find anything else to grab him, he stopped. He says he would like to read some horror - any suggestions for horror for a 12 year old? Thanks.

@rifling Goosebumps? Not sure if he's too old for it though. I always thought of it as the X Files for children 😂

I've just ordered Heartstopper for my tween. She bing watched the Netflix series in one day! 💕