How do you Turn a Reluctant Reader into an Avid Reader?

How do you take a child who is a reluctant reader and change him/her into someone who can't put a book down? I did this with my own son, and I want to share the tools I used to help him.

We all know that developing strong reading and writing skills is one of the most important determining factors in the success of a person's academic career and even life. Without this skill, (and hopefully associated passion that goes with it), the road to success becomes much more challenging. Of course it can be done, but let's be serious; being a great reader and writer is SO important!

I have had the privilege of working with struggling readers over the last twenty years. What I have found most helpful to get kids to fall in love with reading is hard to pinpoint with one magic bullet, so my intention is to go in-depth and let you know what's been most helpful. Let's get those kids asking to go to the library again and again, appreciating stories, wanting that next book in the series, reading to find information they're curious about, and loving the craft of writing so much that they never want to put their books down!

When my son started to read he was very rigid and expected himself to just be able to read. He got extremely frustrated when he couldn't put sounds together right away that trying to read often ended in meltdowns of throwing books, getting angry, hurting me, etc. His frustration was a real thing, and probably if you're reading this post, you're familiar with someone in your life feeling just as frustrated! So here is what I learned along the way to transform him from melting down to someone now who won't stop reading as well as strategies I used in the classroom to help so many kids from grades 1-8!

Read together. Sharing special time with your child or reading one-on-one or in a small group in the classroom shows reading is important as well as that child is important! When kids see you taking time to read with them, they love it. They appreciate it, and they secretly (or not-so-secretly) want more of this special time! Now as a classroom teacher, this can be challenging, but set a rotating schedule where you can get to all of your students every few days, and even more frequently, your reluctant readers. As a parent, the time before bed is a sacred time where I used to read to my son, then as he got older, we would take turns reading a section, paragraph or page. Now that he is hooked on different spy books series that he loves to read on his own, we will all read our own books together. It's the time of the day I look forward to most.

Make literacy obvious in your environment. Make your home/classroom a place where youngsters see you reading. Be a reader yourself! Share what you're reading and how it's influencing you. Take time to read your own books throughout the week, whether it's a nonfiction book helping you to solve a problem (like your child's lack of attention, how to improve health, etc.) or something just for fun like the latest Dan Brown novel that gets you thinking. I have stacks of books everywhere...on my nightstand, coffee table, bathroom, and on plenty of bookshelves. I am reading several books right now and my son knows it! When we take trips, we often listen to audiobooks together, listening, laughing and discussing. Will, my son, is surrounded by reading experiences.

Drop the technology and give experiences instead. This might be hard for some, but we had a very strict no batteries, no technology, limited TV time type of structure in our house. Our focus has been on literacy, being in nature, being active, and having experiences instead of watching other people's experiences on TV or living in a fantasy world with video games. To this day we don't have any video games or an i-pad, my son didn't have a phone until he was almost 14 (which he barely uses, thanks to the non-technology habits we've formed!), and we rarely watch TV. He played with wooden blocks and trains, tractors, and other toys that would encourage imagination when he was young. Very few battery toys were in our house and usually were gifts from relatives who didn't understand our line of parenting. Without technology kids use their imaginations, are more apt to read and to be active (therefor fostering a healthier lifestyle) and are additionally exposed less to harmful radiation and EMFs from electronics. Getting kids out in nature has so many benefits as well.

Help find the right level text and topic. An easy way for kids to get discouraged in themselves as readers is if their book is too hard or too easy. Some kids get intimidated by the length and some will be embarrassed if it doesn't look thick enough. You've got to know your kids and what makes them feel good as readers. The general rule of thumb is when reading the first page of a book, if you don't know (either can't pronounce or understand) 5 words or more then the book is too hard. If you know every word and can pronounce with ease, then perhaps it's too easy. Here's the thing though...sometimes kids benefit from reading easier books. For example, it took forever to get my son to not reread Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate books for the 35th time! After reading a challenging (non-graphic novel) book though, sometimes he really enjoys the laugh and the break and needs that. So know your kids and what their needs are. In general, when you read a book with a child, it can be slightly harder than if they are reading it independently. If a child is just giving up right away, invest the time with them. Read parts with them until they are engaged, so maybe read a book with them and have another easier and shorter book for them to read on their own.

Moving out of graphic novels can seem daunting, but there are several book series that helped with this. I look for series that have some pictures, but more text. Some examples that may help in the beginning are Treasure Hunters (action series with many illustrations, but more text then many graphic novels, A Boy Called Bat (has three books and is about a child with autism with a pet skunk-a shorter book with easier words), The Wild Robot (now has three books to the series and is a book that some of my most reluctant readers are gripped to because of the interconnectedness yet confliction of technology, friendship and nature), and Max and the Midknights (author of Big Nate). These are great series to nudge your reader out of the easy graphic novels, transitioning to harder texts. Baby steps!

Next, try to push a little further with the series starting with A Wolf Called Wander (nature series written from perspective of animals). Book series that are relatable because of the school theme but are also funny include: Ungifted, The Unteachables, The Smartest Kid in the Universe, and Home Sweet Motel (not really a school theme, but still relateable and funny). These were all big hits with my son as he gathered momentum and confidence as a reader.

Finally, he fell in love with Stuart Gibbs and all of the series that he's read thus far: Spy School, Moon Base Alpha, Fun Jungle, and Charlie Thorne. Written in an engaging, non-stop action format, these series have all been an integral part turning my reluctant reader into an avid one!

Don't be afraid to challenge your child! While graphic novels can be an easy and engaging entry into being a reader, it's really easy to fall into the trap of only reading graphic novels and not progressing as a reader. Sure, there are more difficult graphic novels out there, but let's be realistic. There aren't going to be many graphic novels taught in high school or college and if your child doesn't get comfortable with reading novels without pictures you aren't setting them up for success. I find that raising expectations (that push the limit but can be reached) are helpful. I've used positive peer pressure to help with this. For example, there are many high achievers in my son's class, which has been a great help in getting him out of the graphic novels. I find out what friends are reading and that has hooked him on more challenging series. I've also been engaged in his experience at school and check in regularly with his ELA teacher finding what they are reading next, etc. Challenging your child helps them grow. And after reading a harder book it's okay to take a break and read an easier funny book as long as there's more challenging options in the future.

Fiction or nonfiction? Some kids hate fiction and thrive when reading nonfiction. Often times we are so focused with fictional stories that we forget to expose kids to nonfiction, other than what can be the dreaded biography unit. From a teaching standpoint I see many teachers use classroom magazines like Scholastic Action to fit in their nonfiction work, but kids (like adults) LOVE nonfiction if it's not a dry version and is about something they care about. For example, my son loves to think of ways to make money, so I got him a book called Mo's Bows for Christmas, giving him ways to read about a successful child entrepreneur. He enjoyed it so much, his next stop was an adult version, Let it Fly by Pat Flynn, the famous entrepreneur. Kids love to make money and think big. They love to figure things out, so let nonfiction guide them.

Equally as important is to give them choice with fiction books to read. More on this to come soon!

Be there to help. If I hadn't made it a routine each night to spend that sacred time reading with him, he may not have turned into an avid reader. At first, I read to him a lot-picture books, chapter books, etc., but gradually he found books he couldn't put down and wanted to read on his own. This didn't happen right away, and I needed to help with the transition by taking turns reading, sounding out words, talking about meanings, asking questions about the characters and setting, discussing how the story connected to our lives, what the hidden message could be, etc. We had wonderful conversations together that fostered a love of reading and scaffolded an eventual independence. Will always knows that I am up for talking about books, there to support him with word meanings or whatever he might need.

In the beginning I remember it was hard for Will to string together sounds. As a current sixth grade teacher, I still have kids reading well below grade level, so some strategies include reading together and encouraging kids to "stretch out" the sounds of letters. instead of the word "start" stretch it out s-t-a-r-t. Something that often helps kids is to sound out the first bit of the word and let them finish. If we give them the word, are we helping? Or can we help by giving the beginning sounds?

Another strategy is to use kinesthetic learning like making a string of boxes together (one box for each sound) and then have the child move a manipulative like a dried bean into the box for each sound. For example with the word snap, you might have 4 boxes. For each sound, but a bean in one box at a time as you are saying that sound out loud. "S" (put a bean in the first box)-"N" (put a bean in the second box)-"A" (put a bean in the third box)-"P" (bean in the fourth box). Repeat sounds closer together, repeat until the word sounds like it would in a text.

There are other tools I have used for my students like plastic highlighter strips as pictured above. Sometimes I will write words on post-it notes (one letter per post-it) and have the kids swat each letter with a fly swatter as they sound out the word. Clapping or snapping sounds also work well. There are various colored plastic sheets on amazon that I've found. Kids put them on top of their text and believe it or not I've found some kids prefer different colors, making it easier to read for them.

Kids love animals! Use them to help them connect to what they are reading. Either in the classroom, independently, or as a family, reading with a dog or cat (or other loved pet) can give great encouragement and help kids feel less self-conscious when reading quietly or out loud.

What are strategies you have used to help kids thrive as readers? I'd love to hear from your experience!