To ask for suggestions about how to encourage kids to read?

[Sinalley1]

I have a nearly 8 year old DS. His reading is excellent, has been for some time. We read to him and he will read on his own. He goes through periods of getting excited over books - Tom Gates, Captain Underpants, Dogman series etc etc - but almost always, he'll get two books in and then he loses complete interest. I repeat, complete interest.

I find it really frustrating. He has so many books that he was 'DESPERATE' to have, and yet has never read.

I'm a writer, so it's my weakness. If he expresses interest, I'll get the book for him.

Clearly, it's not working. What can I do to encourage his reading without becoming that pain-in-the-ass parent who destroys her child's love of books by being pushy?

I'm sure the suggestion will be to leave him alone, let him come to it, but I do find it hard.

I second the suggestion of comics and graphic novels. For football fans there are loads of footie mags and attractive books plus he can read match reports in the newspaper. Plus my DS used to like car magazines like Top Gear.

My DS did read books until he was a bit older but pretty much stopped when he got to secondary school. However we always get a newspaper and various factual magazines and everyone is allowed to read them at breakfast/ lunch times. Dinner time - we have to talk to each other (shock horreur)

We also used to have a "holiday book" which we take it in turns to read (including stupid accents) every night when on hols.

Also word games such as Scrabble, Bananagrams etc are good fun and help with widening vocabulary.

I have one very enthusiatic reader (now 10), but she still needs 'encouraging' by being read a few chapters of more challenging books.

Our second child (now 9) found reading harder but always loved being read to so she has story time every night religiously (older child does get read to but not as regularly) and now is reading for pleasure but needed reassurance that we would still read to her. I find a bit of competition works wonders, she'll ignore a book for ages then if her big sis show interest she starts reading it!

I think going to the library and letting them read a lot of shite is probably the way to go. And keep reading to him, all sorts. DH reads cartoobs to DS (6) and he loves them. I like a graphic novel myself actually so we have a few child friendly ones about.

Also, I actually don't agree with the letting them read a load of garbage to help. Some garbage, yes, but if their reading diet is a steady stream of crap, they'll never develop the ability or taste to read great books. That can make choosing books for them tricky, yes.

One thing we do at the library is choose books from categories, 1 biography, 1 science, 1 classic, 1 art or music, 1 practical (craft/how to), 1 poetry, 1 history. After those are chosen, they can choose a couple of easy read/silly books. Often they get drawn in to reading one of those and are hardly interested in the easy any more. They may well not read all the books before they have to go back, but it really helps expand their interests & reading repertoire!

Fairy that's really cool that the teacher set that challenge. What teacher says holds the most weight in this house.

ALittleBitofVitriol wow! how old are your kids do you mind me asking? Do you get any resistance to that way of picking books in the library? My DD would give me the face if I did that I think. Though DH & I do pick a lot of her books, it's much more of a random 'hey you might like this' process.

It has given me so much joy to see my dd steaming through books the way I did as a kid, BUT...I've got to be honest with myself, the world is changing fast and I think it's unlikely she'll manage to keep it up throughout her life. There are so many other distractions and opportunities that we just didn't have. I have 2 other younger children and I'm really not sure they will have the same 'bookworm temperament' as my eldest. So I'm just enjoying and encouraging while I can.

A good tip is to make bedtime half an hour earlier than lights out. E.g. bedtime is 8pm but they are allowed to read (nothing else) for 30 mins, then you go check on them for goodnight kiss and lights out. Works well as reading becomes a treat. (Use it to extend their current bedtime not reduce it to an hour earlier of course, or it won’t be a new treat.)

@beechview, you’re absolutely right. At first they might not like it, but if you persist they grow to love reading, as you describe.

At 7?! I really wouldn’t worry. My DC is a similar age and lots of their friends struggle to read anything. If he is free reading that is great, let him read whatever.

Also I’m confused about what is wrong with just reading the first one or two of a series? They are often the best ones... don’t you remember the thrill of discovering a new character or a new ‘world’? Let him borrow stuff from the library. It’s not an endurance test where you have to finish the series. Reading at primary age should be fun, not a chore.

HalfStar
I have teens down to 5 years old. I've taught them all to read myself. They all (except the 5 year old) read very well and will read whatever they are assigned (by me) - it's just normal to them.

They actually love picking the different categories, they have found some real gems and interests they otherwise wouldn't have tried. They don't necessarily read every book they choose all the way through though.

To clarify - they choose their own books, they just have to choose at least one from each category. Then they can also choose extra/whatever they want.