Some children love reading and go through multiple books a week and others it is a struggle to get them to read. Reading is something that should be encouraged and that your children are doing; it just may take some different motivation and strategies for children to want to read more.
Reading with your children from the beginning can help to encourage this habit. The more they are exposed to it, the more they will enjoy it and want to continue. This can be reading at bedtime, reading during the day, or reading outside. When you read with your children at a young age, it is time spent together and can also help to build your relationship. This can also make it a more enjoyable activity. If you did not read with your children or did not have as many opportunities to read, this does not mean that children will not enjoy reading.
One thing that is important when encouraging children to read is to make sure that they are reading books that they enjoy. While some really want their children to read classic literature, there is time for that, but if they are not enjoying what they are reading, then they are not going to want to continue. They may want to read comic books, mysteries, historical fiction, or any other genre. The format they want to read can also vary such as graphic novel, chapter book, or short stories. Allowing your child to read whatever genre and format they are interested in will help to continue their desire to read. There is time in school or later in life to read those pieces of great literature if that is not what your child is interested in at this time.
Some children may be struggling to read which will make it harder for them to want to read. If they are struggling to read the words, then they are going to be discouraged and not want to continue. If they are struggling, it is important to help determine why this is happening and how you can help with this. It may be sitting down with them and reading with them, either taking turns reading pages or other ways to encourage them. It may also be that they have a hard time sitting still to read so letting them have breaks for movement and maybe being able to sit in a chair that provides movement can help. If you have bigger concerns around their reading that you cannot figure out, talk to their teacher to see what the teacher is seeing in class. They can also provide some guidance around your child’s reading skills.
Some children are not struggling to read and you are offering books at their level and they enjoy, but they are just not as interested. They may be more excited about other activities and so it is helpful to find ways to motivate them to read. If you just demand that they read, this will not motivate them and may cause them to enjoy reading even less. What do your children enjoy doing and how can you relate to this their reading? How can you use this as a way to motivate them to read? Some children are more interested in screens and they may be able to earn more screen time with reading. It is also motivating for children if they see you also reading. Children will model what they see so if they see their parents, or siblings, reading, they may be more motivated to read.
While reading is important, children will likely go through times where they read more and less. Being aware of the various factors involved in why they are reading or not can help determine how much push should be given. If you are still trying to determine how to help encourage your child to read, feel free to reach out to me or check out my LinkedIn for more information.
