Help learning to enjoy reading

[AngelScott]

I have a bright child, age 8, who hates to read. She has ADHD and mild dyslexia, which I’m sure doesn’t help. She is also a TV addict. I’ve tried various tactics and all have failed. These include trying graphic novels, the Phoenix… She won’t listen to audio books either. Can anybody please recommend a reading tutor who can help my child to enjoy reading?

Not sure this will help as probably the ship has sailed, but I didn't let my DD watch the Harry Potter films until she had read them.

Not sure how you can tutor enjoyment. Have you tried dyslexia friendly books?

Do you enjoy reading?
Do you read bedtime stories?

My opinion is, you can't force it. I see reading as a past time that has to complete with things like TV and gaming.

Did you always read to her as she was growing up? The answer is to read to her now. Older books she couldn’t read herself. I read mine Wind in the Willows for example. DS wasn’t really into reading until he saw the movie Never ending Story. It was the first proper book he read. Up till then he was reading a lot of abridged versions of the classics. In the summer holidays you should have a half hour reading session after lunch when you both sit down and read.

You could use reading as a tool which could improve her condition. ADHD Certify is the website which helps to guide issues regarding ADHD and you could get more information relevant to ADHD on the website. Do check it!

Thanks all. I’ve tried reading with her too, many times. It’s very difficult to sustain when I work and the only time we have is late when we are both shattered, hence wanting to engage a specialist who can encourage her.

@AngelScott if you & DC are too tired during the week, just let it go for now.
We had a reading hour when DC were age 8/9 to about 12/13 at the weekend, normally after lunch especially in winter. We had a book that we took turns reading to each other and later on DC would just read on their own.

Now late teens & early 20's they don't read at all except for school & uni work.

I'm a bit sad as I am an avid reader and would choose a book over TV, films and gaming. But DC are a different generation and have different things to keep them occupied. When I was a child, a book, some crafts or playing outside was pretty much the only entertainment. (We had TV but only 3 channels, with an hour or so of children programmes.)
Nowadays DC can get entertainment from the screen 24/7.

Sometimes you just have to accept that they aren’t interested. Some people just don’t get much pleasure from reading. It’s not a character flaw or anything like that. You can’t force someone to enjoy something that they don’t. It sounds like she has plenty of opportunity and encouragement but if she doesn’t get enjoyment out of it then that’s that really, I wouldn’t get pushy over it.

One of my kids wouldn’t choose reading over drawing, modelling with clay, crafts. She will listen to an audiobook but doesn’t really want to sit down with a book ever unless there’s nothing else for her to do that she would prefer. That’s just the way she is. I work in publishing so our house is absolutely chock-full of books, we’ve always done library trips, stories, I read a lot in the home. But she’s just someone who likes to be actively doing something with her hands and creating something.

Sherpa Tutors has a dedicated SEN division Find a SEND Tutor | Qualified Special Educational Needs Tutors, and they’ve been brilliant in helping my older child engage with education in a way works well for him. I believe they cover all ages, worth having a chat with them, they’ve got great support staff.

Re: too shattered to read.

Reading books for pleasure is hard when you don't do it much. At the moment it should like that applies your whole family. That's ok! It's harder for me than it used to be. It's harder for most of us. We're losing the habit.

But that means if you push through this stage of tiredness it'll get easier. And you can't expect your child to do it if you can't (or won't!). Pick a book you read and loved as a kid. It'll reduce the cognitive load and you might find you can still read convincingly if you zone out by accident.

I think if you start you'll soon find it's not as tiring as it seems. I find it easier to read to my child than read to myself.

My brother didn’t start reading for pleasure until he was in his teens. He was also dyslexic. I don’t think it’s something you can force.

Try cooking and reading recipes, same with ingredients on packets. Put the subtitles up on the tv.

Can she actually read but just doesn't enjoy reading stories?
Not everyone does.
If she can read a recipe, instructions, display signs, a shopping list etc then she's fine.
It's not compulsory to enjoy reading stories.

For those saying reading doesn’t matter …. It does. Not just for academic achievement but social and emotional benefits as well. And audio books are an acceptable replacement if the mechanics of reading are too tiring.

Agree with others that love of reading isn’t something you can teach, though. I have a 9yo with dyslexia who has a love hate relationship with books. Reading homework can be a real flashpoint, especially at the end of the day when she is tired. We mostly don’t force reading, but try to make it an attractive alternative with some success - she periodically picks up books voluntarily and has a real love of audiobooks. what works for us:

• strict limits on screen time. Tv or iPad or gaming will always win as an alternative so we limit to 1 hour a day
• audiobooks are unlimited and available via yoto or audible
• graphic novels and comics in spades - she doesn’t pick them up everyday but having found a few things she enjoys I try to make sure there is always something new around for when she is in the mood
• kindle has been helpful - ability to choose her own content, feels like a device
• I read a great deal myself, so they see me reading and I talk to them about books that I enjoy
• i read to them consistently until 8yo and then it fell off a bit due to schedules, but will probably pick a book for the summer when we have a bit more time.

i don’t expect dd to become a bookworm and she still struggles with getting her ideas down on paper, but she absorbs lots of stories in one form or another and teachers have called out her vocabulary and creativity when supported with transcription

Limit screentime and then consider getting tutoring from a reputable platform. I would recommend iTutorOnline for starters