Author: Maxine Sprague MEd BEd

Are you frustrated because your child doesn’t show an interest in learning to read? Finding ways to motivate reluctant readers is challenging but so worthwhile. As a teacher, I have worked with many students who were reluctant readers. Every child is unique, so I had to find solutions that worked for each child.

Reading is an essential skill for success in school and in life, so it’s important to get children hooked on books. In this post, I’m excited to share 5 simple to use strategies for motivating kids to love reading. When a child becomes a strong, confident reader, their future becomes a world of possibilities. 

This post contains 5 proven strategies for helping your child become an avid reader:

1. Start Reading Early
2. Read for Pleasure and Enjoyment
3. Discover Why Your Child is a Reluctant Reader
4. Make Reading Easy and Fun
5. Celebrate Reading Wins

How to Start Early so Your Child Avoids Becoming a Reluctant Reader 

Learning to read begins even before a child is born. Babies hear sounds while they are in the womb and are especially tuned in to their mom’s voice. To learn to read, speech sounds need to be connected to squiggles on the page. Read, talk, sing, and hum to your baby before they are born to expose them to the sounds of reading.

Your newborn will love hearing the soothing sound of your voice. Begin reading to them early on as you cuddle and hold them close to you. Choose stories with relaxing sounds and read in a soft, gentle voice. Reading together creates strong bonds.

As your baby becomes more aware of their surroundings, hold the book so they can see the pictures. Choose books with contrasting colors and uncluttered pictures as well as books with beautiful, detailed illustrations.

Busy toddlers might find it challenging to sit still while you read with them. Even if they choose to play with toys or wander around the room, continue to read. You might feel silly reading a kid’s book without your child sitting near you, but you can be sure they will be listening, even if they are busy with other activities.  

If you make reading a part of your child’s daily routine, it becomes an established habit that is valued by your family. Continuing to read with your child, even when they can read themselves, is a wonderful way to nurture your relationship and keep family bonds strong.    

How to Show Your Reluctant Reader that Reading is a Source of Pleasure and Enjoyment

Children love to mimic your behavior, so make sure your child sees you reading for pleasure. If they see you enjoying a good book, they will learn that books are a source of pleasure and reading is a rewarding experience. Talk to your reluctant reader about what you are reading. Share what you are learning and how reading makes you feel - relaxed, energized, inspired, empathetic. 

There are so many ways to help your child see reading as a fun, magical activity. Get other family members and friends to read with your child. Let your child overhear you having conversations about favorite books or childhood memories of books. Seek out opportunities, at your local library or in your community, for your child to meet authors. Give books as gifts to your child and their friends. 

If you model reading and share books you love with your child, they will see reading as an ordinary part of daily life. Sharing your love of books will inspire them to want to learn to read. 

I often asked parents, of the students I taught, if their child saw them modeling reading. A dad of one of my reluctant readers told me that he had a stack of books on his night table. We discussed how seeing a stack of books and observing a parent enjoying a good book are not the same thing. He agreed and committed to making sure his son saw him actually reading for pleasure. A small change made a big difference in his son's life. 

How to Find Out Why Your Child is a Reluctant Reader

You may have noticed that your child never picks up a book on their own. Or, they might start reading a book but quickly abandon it and move on to another activity. If you suggest they read a book, they might become frustrated or behave inappropriately. All of these are signs that your child is not experiencing the pleasure and joy that avid readers get from immersing themselves in a great book. Here are some steps you can take to help with this:

Step 1: Show empathy by acknowledging their resistance and frustration.

Step 2: Encourage them to share why they are reluctant to read.

Step 3: Assure them that you are here for them and will help them.

To understand more about your child’s reluctance to read, ask open-ended questions related to what they think about books, what topics or activities they find interesting and would like to learn more about, and what feels tricky or hard about reading.

Your child may be reluctant to read because the books available to them are too difficult for their reading level. They may be having trouble finding books with topics or characters that interest them. Some children have shorter attention spans and find it challenging to sit still. Or, they may find other activities more engaging than reading. This is common for children who have a lot of exposure to screen time. Digital media is designed using psychological techniques that capture and sustain attention. Be careful not to make screen time a reward for reading, as it makes reading seem like a punishment. 

Your child might also be missing basic reading skills needed to use the alphabetic principle to connect letter sounds to letter shapes. Our Alphabites Game Pack has 26 games and 32 hilarious tongue twisters that make it fun to learn the sounds of reading. 

Your child may have difficulty with phonemic awareness (hearing individual sounds in words). The Alphabites Quick Start Guide included with the game pack gives lots of tips for building foundational reading skills. When a reluctant reader learns the code, reading becomes easier which makes it a more desirable activity.  

The majority of children can learn to read and experience enjoyment and pleasure from reading. So, don’t give up! Keep at it until you find what works for your child. It may also be helpful to reach out to an expert if you feel your child is having more difficulty than is expected for their age. Reading difficulties that include a variety of needs, such as vision, hearing, and dyslexia, often go undiagnosed. It is never too late to get the help your child needs.    

How to Make Reading Easy and Fun for a Reluctant Reader?

Many children do not have a solid foundation for learning to read. Does your child understand the alphabetic principle? By that I mean, do they know the code that connects letter sounds to letter shapes. Knowing letter sounds/shapes, how to blend sounds to read words, and how to segment words apart into sounds are the three basic skills needed for reading success. Our Alphabites Game Pack is a playful way to move from letter sounds to reading simple words and decodable books. 

School aged children may have been given too many phonics worksheets, making them feel like learning to read is boring and repetitive. Large class sizes and being younger than most classmates can also make it challenging for kids to get their share of attention and feel confident about their reading. 

You can help make reading fun and enjoyable for your child by introducing them to the magic of reading. Reading is a doorway to exploring real and imaginary worlds. It should be a relaxing, no pressure experience that builds relationships, creating close family bonds. 

To spark interest in reading:

1. Gather books that are at your child’s reading level and contain topics they enjoy
2. Make books easy to access
3. Bring books along for road trips or while waiting for appointments
4. Play word games and read materials other than books such as assembly directions, recipes, brochures, and collectors cards.  

Let your child choose books that interest them. Graphic novels and magazines are also good for maintaining interest. And yes, it’s okay if they want to read the same book over and over. Repetition builds fluency and confidence. Eventually, they will move on to other books. A mix of too easy, just right, and slightly challenging books can make reading easier while improving skills. 

When you are reading with your child, point to words as they repeat a sentence back to you. If your child can already read, take turns reading sentences, paragraphs, or pages. Shared reading lightens the load for reluctant readers. Be dramatic by using different voices for the characters and varying your tone and expression.

And the best thing you can do is to take the pressure off, making reading together a relaxing, shared experience. If this is becoming a challenge, let go of the struggle, and get another family member or friend to help.   

How to Celebrate Wins for Reluctant Readers

You know your child best, so choose rewards that will inspire them to reach a reading goal. 

Praise Small Steps: Who doesn’t love a positive comment or praise for accomplishing a goal. Kids quickly see through hollow praise, so make sure to keep the comments genuine. For example, say: “I’m impressed that you read that whole page yourself.” “I hope you feel proud that you sounded out that tricky word.” “Way to go!.” “You’ve got this!” “This book is not stumping you.” “High Five!” “I would love to have you read a book to me. Pick one you think I will enjoy.”

Offer Choice: Have your child choose books and the location for reading. They could be the one to set a timer for reading minutes. Begin with 3-4 minutes of reading time and increase by 1 minute each day. You could have your child decide how turn taking will work. For example, they read 1 page and they get to choose if you read 1 page or 2 pages that day. 

Let them pick books that align with their interests—comics, graphic novels, trading cards, rules for playing games, or books on topics they’re passionate about can spark curiosity.

Wait Time: When your child is sounding out a word, resist the urge to jump in too quickly to help. Tune into your child, so you will see the best time to assist them. You can also offer hints. For example: “That word rhymes with blue.” “The ‘th’ work together in that word to say /th/ like in ‘them’.” “Try another sound for the vowel.” Because you know your child so well, it will be easy for you to decide when it’s more effective to just say the word to keep the reading flowing along.

Provide Incentives: Set goals and use appropriate rewards that will motivate your child. Some children enjoy star charts or adding up minutes. Others might like to use a marble jar, where you add marbles for each minute read. When the jar is filled to a predetermined line, they choose a reward. You know your child best, so choose what works for them. As mentioned earlier, do not reward reading time with screen time as this makes reading seem like a less desirable activity than video games.

Summary

Reading is a skill everyone needs. It’s essential for doing well in school and in life. It sparks imagination and learning about the amazing and complex world we live in. If your child is a reluctant reader, it’s really important to find ways to make reading enjoyable and desirable for them. A world of possibilities, both real and imagined, opens up when a child becomes a strong, confident reader. 

So as frustrated as you may be that your child doesn’t show an interest in learning to read or read on their own, there are steps you can take to change this. Finding ways to motivate reluctant readers is challenging but so worthwhile. 

One of the greatest joys of my teaching career was watching the kids who hated reading become the ones who always had a good book at hand. It was so exciting to see how they couldn’t wait to finish an assignment, so they could have a few free minutes to read! 

Every child is unique. It can be challenging, but there’s always a solution that will work for them. Don’t give up on helping your reluctant reader become an avid reader who can travel to places and worlds unknown without leaving the comforts of home, or learn whatever they wish all on their own!  

We’re here to help! You can get in touch with us anytime. We appreciate your input and are happy to answer any questions you may have. 

Sources

Day, R. R, & Bamford, J. (1998). Extensive reading in the second language classroom. New York: Cambridge University press. Link to article

Hutton, J. S., Horowitz-Kraus, T., Mendelsohn, A. L., DeWitt, T., Holland, S. K., & C-Mind Authorship Consortium. (2015). Home reading environment and brain activation in preschool children listening to stories. Pediatrics, 136(3), 466-478. Google Scholar

Piasta, Shayne B., Logan, Jessica A. R., Strang, Tara M., & Justice, Laura M. (2022) Profiles and Predictors of Children’s Growth in Alphabet Knowledge, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 27:1, 1-26, Google Scholar

van Bergen, E., Snowling, M. J., de Zeeuw, E. L., van Beijsterveldt, C. E., Dolan, C. V., & Boomsma, D. I. (2018). Why do children read more? The influence of reading ability on voluntary reading practices. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59(11), 1205-1214. Google Scholar