13 Ways to Turn Kids – Especially Boys – On to Reading
Teenager boy wearing jeans and shirt and reading book
Read with or to them (or sit with them while they read) for at least 15 minutes per day. This can triple their reading improvement in a month.
Arrange for a reading buddy, maybe an older kid down the block, preferably of the same gender. Or arrange for your child to be a reading buddy, which can also be super helpful.
Be aware of the role-model factor: Make sure your son sees males reading, is read to by males and experiences males discussing their reading. (Book clubs, dad or uncle, reading buddy, etc.)
Find fun, comfy places to read, like under a table with a blanket thrown over it, or seated on a motorcycle.
Let young kids hold the book and turn the pages.
Resist criticizing kids for squirming during reading sessions; some actually focus better while fidgeting. (Wise parents even encourage them to move about, by reading to them while they’re on the trampoline, or suggesting they draw or play with Lego during reading.)
Guard against objecting to their reading choices (toilet humor, fighting scenes, graphic novels, etc.); too many parents inadvertently turn their kids off reading by being too controlling about what they read. Educated women especially tend to over-push fiction and classics on boys.
Restrict their screen time (e.g., some families use a dinnertime “drop box” for all electronic devices). And/or have them “earn” extra screen time by reading (e.g., for every hour with a book, a half hour of extra screen time), to emphasize that you value reading over screen time. But allow movies with subtitles (including Manga) to count as reading.
Especially for boys, adopt more active styles of learning -- encouraging skits, drawing, field trips, props and interviews (e.g. with Grandpa about family history).
For boys, seek out boy-friendly books (Guinness Book of World Records is a sure-fire winner, and for teens, check out www.YAdudebooks.ca). Boys tend to like adventure, thrillers, suspense, sports, horror, fantasy, humor, picture books, comic books and graphic novels. In fiction, they like male protagonists, and lots of action and dialogue. Some publishers specialize in books for reluctant readers (called “hi-lo” for high interest, low vocabulary). Example: Orcabook.com
When they can read on their own, continue to read to them at a level about two years above what they can read (builds the scaffolding for more advanced reading).
While you’re reading to them, have them raise a finger for each word they don’t understand. Three fingers or more per page (roughly 5%) means the book is too difficult; trade it in for something easier.
For young kids: Buy some flexible plastic tubing at a hardware store, and read to them with one end at your lips and the other at their ear. Teachers swear by this!
