Helping Reluctant Readers
Suggested summer reading list for
grade 8 students coming to MHS
The
following are some ways to turn a young reader's
reluctance into enthusiasm:
1. Scout
for things your children might like to read. Use their
interests and hobbies as starting points.
2. Leave
all sorts of reading materials including books, magazines,
and colourful catalogues in conspicuous places around your
home.
3. Notice
what attracts your children's attention, even if they only
look at the pictures. Then build on that interest; read a
short selection aloud, or simply bring home more
information on the same subject.
4. Let your
children see you reading for pleasure in your spare time.
5. Take
your children to the library regularly. Explore the
children's section together. Ask a librarian to suggest
books and magazines your children might enjoy.
6. Present
reading as an activity with a purpose; a way to gather
useful information for, say, making paper airplanes,
identifying a doll or stamp in your child's collection, or
planning a family trip.
7.
Encourage older children to read to their younger brothers
and sisters. Older children enjoy showing off their
skills to an admiring audience.
8. Play
games that are reading-related. Check your closet for
spelling games played with letter tiles or dice, or board
games that require players to read spaces, cards, and
directions.
9. Perhaps
over dinner, while you're running errands, or in another
informal setting, share your reactions to things you read,
and encourage your children to do likewise.
10. Set
aside a regular time for reading in your family,
independent of schoolwork, the 20 minutes before lights
out, just after dinner, or whatever fits into your
household schedule. As little as 10 minutes of free
reading a day can help improve your child's skills and
habits.
11. Read
aloud to your child, especially a child who is discouraged
by his or her own poor reading skills. The pleasure of
listening to you read, rather than struggling alone, may
restore your child's initial enthusiasm for books and
reading.
12.
Encourage your child to read aloud to you an exciting
passage in a book, an interesting tidbit in the newspaper,
or a joke in a joke book. When children read aloud, don't
feel they have to get every word right. Even good readers
skip or mispronounce words now and then.
13. On
gift-giving occasions, give books and magazines based on
your child's current interests.
14. Set
aside a special place for children to keep their own
books.
15.
Introduce the bookmark. Remind your youngster that you
don't have to finish a book in one sitting; you can stop
after a few pages, or a chapter, and pick up where you
left off at another time. Don't try to persuade your
child to finish a book he or she doesn't like. Recommend
putting the book aside and trying another.
16. Treat
your children to an evening of laughter and entertainment
featuring books! Many children (parents, too) regard
reading as a serious activity. A joke book, a story told
in riddles, or a funny passage read aloud can reveal
another side of reading.
17. Extend
your child's positive reading experiences. For example,
if your youngster enjoyed a book about dinosaurs, follow
up with a visit to a natural history museum.
18. Offer
other special incentives to encourage your child's
reading. Allow your youngster to stay up an extra 15
minutes to finish a chapter; promise to take your child to
see a movie after he or she has finished the book on which
it was based; relieve your child of a regular chore to
free up time for reading.
19. Limit
your children's TV viewing in an effort to make time for
other activities, such as reading. But never use TV as a
reward for reading, or a punishment for not reading.
20. Not all
reading takes place between the covers of a book. What
about menus, road signs, food labels, and sheet music?
Take advantage of countless spur-of-the-moment
opportunities for reading during the course of your
family's busy day.
from:
http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/tip.mspx?View=3
