How to make reading more enjoyable?

[darlingtonhouse]

Hi. My DS is 6 and loves listening to stories being read to him, so we do it every night. However, he hates reading to himself, or reading aloud.

He normally does the school readers every day and is reading at a higher level than expected in his current school year. He does it only because he has to, and not because he wants to. I'd love him to read because he wants to, but it doesn't come naturally to him. I've tried topics that he is into, which seems to be working better for him, but he's still not very keen on reading it himself!

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to make reading more enjoyable? I got into reading when I was a teenager, and not his age, so I understand it can be a challenge for him as well, especially as his reading has really come on in the past year....

Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks

could you try a series of books like this, and you read a page, then he reads a page in turn?

The reading challenge starts this weekend - maybe you could take him to the library and sign up to it and see if it stirs any enthusiasm?

I think this is quite common at this age. He's a good reader, but maybe not good enough for chapter books yet? When he can read something really fun like Captain Underpants, The 13-Storey Treehouse, Horrid Henry, David Walliams, Roald Dahl (these are based on my own DC) by himself, he'll be more enthusiastic.

I found with ds he far preferred non-fiction and was reading adult WWII books at a time when he'd have moaned about reading a page of The very Hungry Caterpillar.
I also found if I started reading a chapter book, then sometimes he was so keen to find what happened next that he read on.

DS2 was a reluctant reader at that age. He's still not a very quick reader but he enjoys it more now (he's 9). He likes comic strips/graphic novels (adores Asterix), but one of the things that helped get him reading was wanting to play games that involved reading cards (such as Settlers of Catan).

Make a reading area or fort. Add blankets, pillows, and a variety of books.

Make connections between what he is reading and his own experience. Read adventure books before you go camping, dinosaur books before you visit a museum, and so on.

Audiobooks are a great alternative to help make reading more enjoyable—while still helping improve his comprehension skills. They build vocabulary and background knowledge about topics and literary devices.

Magazines, graphic novels, and newspapers are other great reading materials that may feel less like “work” —but they still help him practice and improve his reading skills.

Allow him to read in bed — it seems a bit like breaking the rules and consequently is fun. Head torches work best for my dc — no worry about turning the page and moving the book lamp.

Talk to him about the book that he’s reading, anywhere and at any time — in the car, at the bus stop, or over dinner. It could be about who was his favourite character in the book why or what was the most exciting part of the book?

Thanks so much for the advice! I do try to make it as interesting as possible but he might still be at the stage where reading to himself is too foreign to him. After all, if there's someone who reads to you every night why bother yourself?

@sleepismysuperpower1 your link didn't work, could you repost it when you get a chance? Thank you.

And yes, been looking at the reading challenge at our local library. We should definitely give it a try.

Do you have any pets? Maybe he could read to them?