Reluctant Readers

This past summer I did a lot of babysitting for many different families with kids ages 3-10. I found it interesting that when I babysat the family with 2 girls ages 7 and 10, that they had no interest in reading while I was there (or before bedtime) , they only wanted to watch TV or play on the Wi. However, when I baby sat the 3 and 4 year olds, we would spend about an hour, sometimes more, reading books (mostly me reading to them). I was a little disappointed that the older children had no interest in reading, because it is such an important skill to learn and work at as you grow older. The older children thought of reading as a chore and that they would only read when they had to. Do you find reading to be a chore when it is assigned from a professor? I began to think what are some ways that parents can encourage their children to continue to read in late elementary school and middle school?

I found an article that discusses “reluctant readers” and how you can help these readers learn to like reading more. First, you should find the root cause of why the child lost interest. This could be because they don’t comprehend what they read, or they struggle with reading the words, or they don’t like the topic of the books they usually have to read. Next you can make a plan of action. If the child has difficulty reading, a special reading service may be the best choice for them. If the child doesn’t always comprehend what they read, they may just need a parent, teacher, or older sibling to read alongside of them for when questions arise. If the child isn’t interested in the books given to them in school to read, perhaps parents could encourage them to find books about topics that interest them to read before bed, or in the summer. That way the child is reading on their own, and learning about topics that interest them. Personally, I think it would be a great idea if teachers in elementary school gave student more freedom in choosing books, for book reports, projects etc. This will allow children to be more excited about reading and learning things. Do you think this would be a good strategy to encourage reading in late elementary school? How else could you encourage children to read more?

Article: http://www.k12reader.com/strategies-to-help-engage-reluctant-readers-in-reading/