Motivating Young Readers

 "Kids and adults have a difference of opinion when it come to what constitutes legitimate reading."

- Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid

 

Being able to read well is a skill with many benefits.  Often adults search for ways to motivate young readers.  Here are some tips to encourage the young readers in your home. 

Let children choose their own reading material.  During a library tour, two boys said that they prefer to practise English by reading the Bone series by Jeff Smith, not ESL readers.   If we want children to increase the amount of time they spend reading, letting them read what they enjoy is important.

Set aside time for reading.  The phrase, "Read to your bunny 20 minutes a day and your bunny will read to you," is absolutely true.  Read a variety of books, including chapter books, informational books, fairytales, series books, and easy readers, out loud to your young reader.  If you or your child are not enjoying a book, then switch to another one.

Be a reading role model.  Let your children see you reading newspapers, books, recipes, signs and other text.  Talk about books and authors you like. If your child is old enough to be on Twitter, then they may follow their favourite author on Twitter.  Usually authors are excited to hear from young readers and will respond to their tweets or emails. Jennifer Echols and Susan Juby are two authors for older children who have interesting Twitter accounts.

Introduce good books to children. Certainly children need to select the reading material that they find to be enjoyable; however, adults may expand their interests by introducing new material. A child who enjoys Captain Underpants books could try the award-winning Joey Pigza books which also feature funny adventures of a boy in middle school.

Make time to go to the library.  Come and visit your local branch to browse for new items. Check out the amazing online reading choices, such as the International Children's Digital Library, available through KidsSpace.  Hundreds of complete picture books and chapter books in many languages are available to read online for free. 

Professional hockey players are locked out.  Don't let your child be locked out of the amazing world of reading!