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Do you know how to make reading fun for your children? Whether you’re a parent, PTA/PTO member, or school administrator (or all three!) you already know how important reading is for academic success. If your kiddos are reluctant readers, this article will outline some simple yet fun strategies to help your kids enjoy reading.
I’m school assembly performer Ken Scott. After performing school assemblies at schools in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee, I’ve discovered that even kids who dislike reading can learn to enjoy it with the right approach. I’m going to provide simple solutions for children who struggle when reading, general ideas for the classroom, and ways to tutor reading from a chore into a habit! Let’s get started.
One challenge with struggling readers is where to set the bar. Make the reading too challenging and the student may become frustrated. They’ll want to give up because it’s too hard. The key is setting an achievable goal they can hit with little to no help. They feel empowered and are more willing to continue.
Bear in mind this may have nothing to do with the actual text in the books. They may need to read the book multiple times. They might benefit from a discussion about the material. Each of us learns and assimilates information in different ways. Find what way works best for your child or student.
One reason some students struggle with reading in school is because of fear. Many reading assignments also involve oral reports or just reading the book out loud in class. Remember that public speaking is a big fear for any person, regardless of age. Kids are just as afraid of looking silly in front of their peers as adults.
You can help these students overcome their fears. Be encouraging. Partner the student with someone else. Encourage practice. Help them build their confidence on their own before they have to “perform”: in front of the class.
Are there certain words some students struggle with? Try this exercise. Take a sentence or two from the text. Blackout or erase one particularly challenging word. Engage your students in discussion. Based on the rest of the sentence, what word or words would fit in the open slot? You can reveal the letters one at a time to help students narrow down possibilities to the words that make the most sense.
One challenge many kids have is the feeling of having no choice. The subject matter of the book assigned may not appeal to them. Your students may enjoy reading more f they have a choice of what to read. Kids feel empowered if they have choices. You can also let the class vote on the next book for the read-aloud time in class.
Let students take inspired action. If, after reading a book, a student (or group of students) feels compelled to take some kind of action, encourage it! If, for example, after reading a book on good character, your students want to start their own good character campaign, come up with ways to help them. Bucket filling, anyone?
When readers find genres and authors they love, it’s fun to share the experience with others. You can encourage your students to start mini-book clubs in class. These clubs can be genre or author specific. Got a group of students that loves fantasy? That’s a perfect club. Are there kids who devour every Goosebumps book? Perfect for a book club!
Whenever we want to master a skill, putting in more time is key. And for reading to become a habit, it means you gotta do it a lot! A child’s life at home is often the most challenging environment to make something like reading a habit. There are so many distractions – TV, video games, phones, and the list goes on. Below are some simple ways to make reading a habit.
This is probably the least surprising item on this list! But our lives are so dominated by social media and everything happening online that we are losing the ability to connect. And for kids, developing social skills in the real world is even more important.
Try setting a certain amount of time each night for reading. And it doesn’t have to be long. It could be 30 minutes. Or an hour. This will likely depend on your own home life, how much homework your child has, and so on. But turning reading into a habit means carving out time. Every. Single. Day.
When “e-readers” first arrived on the scene, many people believed print books would die a rapid death. But that hasn’t been the case. Every person is different. And what your child prefers may be different than you. Or their friends. When you’re setting that set reading time each day. Encourage your child to try reading in different formats. Try eBooks. Or a Kindle. Or even audiobooks. And of course, good ol’ fashioned print books are still being produced.
Some kids may like the tactile feeling of flipping real pages. Or your more tech-savvy child may prefer a Kindle. But as long as they’re reading, you win. Well, so does your child!
It’s happened to most of us. We dig into a new book and struggle to finish it. Maybe the author’s writing style doesn’t appeal. Maybe we don’t enjoy the genre. But here’s the thing. Whether you enjoy a book or not, it takes the same time to read it!
Classroom assignments are one thing. Kids have to finish them. But pleasure reading? If your child isn’t enjoying the book. Let them choose another. Just be sure they are not enjoying it because of reading comprehension or another challenge. If your child is not having a good time, let them start a new book.
Looking for fun ways to inspire your students to read more? I have two amazing school assembly programs perfect for elementary school students. One is all about space exploration and the second is about geography and exploration. Both assemblies are filled with amazing magic, audience participation, music, humor, and more! Contact me today for more information.
–Ken