5 Ideas for Kids Who Hate to Read

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Book Love by Melissa TaylorWhat do you do when your child hates to read?  It’s painful to see your child struggle and feel such negative emotions.  No doubt you’re wondering what you can do at home to help your child learn to love reading.  (Or at least like it.)

Try these 5 easy ideas at home with your reluctant reader. You can help your child’s reading confidence.  Once a child is a more confident reader, he or she will be less likely to hate it.

MODEL

Read the page or sentence to your child. Let them whisper read with you, or echo read just after you.

ABANDON

Don’t force your child to continue reading a book that is too hard for them.

CHOICE

Let kids pick books on topics they’re interested in reading. Even if you aren’t.

COMICS

Try comic books or graphic novels. 8 reasons why.

SHARE

Read a book with your child in a book club style where you both talk about the book.  Have your child ask you questions about your favorite part.

Kids are like puzzles. Find what pieces fit for them and enjoy the journey of discovery.

Don’t forget to read yourself. Your kids are watching.

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12 Comments

  1. All great ideas. To continue on with the “comic, graphic novel” theme, children will also be more inclined to stick with a book if they can relate to the subject matter. Toddlers love books with real pictures of things that they see in their daily lives. They can identify with the story easier; if they are not interested in the words yet, then they often will make up a story about what they are seeing and eventually their curiosity will lead them into the story.

  2. Great ideas — thanks for sharing this very important information.

    Another idea for reluctant readers is Think It Ink It Publishing’s (www.thinkitinkitpublishing.com) professionally illustrated wordless picture books in which kids write the story and become authors. The pictures provide just the right amount of scaffolding to lessen the intimidation of a blank page. And we have seen reluctant readers SO PROUD to read their own writing that they are motivated to read other books because of this opportunity!

    Try it and let us know what happens!