Encouraging Boys to Read

Boys often do not take to reading like girls do. Here a few basic tips to encourage your son to read.

1. Easy books. Yes, they are probably well below what he is capable of reading but boys are reassured by the fact that they can finish a book and do so quickly. Once his confidence grows then you can move on to harder books.

2. Let him choose. When reading for fun, let your son choose the books that interest him. He might choose books that drive you crazy or even gross you out, but it might be just the book to get him interested in reading. "Captain Underpants" series is a perfect example! And let me tell you...all kids love these books, especially the boys!

3. Set a good example. The more your child sees you read for fun, especially fathers, the more encouraged your child will be to read. Volunteer to read in your son's class. He will love you for it and the school and teachers will too!

4. Read with your son. When first learning to read, boys are easily discouraged. To help motivate them, you can use tools like have your son read one page and you the next. Make a game of it.

5. Subscribe to a magazine of interest to your son. There are magazines and books on just about every subject. What are your son's interests?

6. Let your son get his own library card! It gives him a feeling of power. Don't' forget to introduce him to the library staff. Many libraries have their own staff for the children and they can be a great motivation for the boys.

7. Boys are motivated by the challenge and competition. This competition could come from the school AR (accelerated reading) program where the kids earn points for reading and then taking a short quiz on the book they have just read. The points at many school add up to prizes and special privileges for every few points.

8. Boys love technology. Don't forget reading on the internet can be fun! Be sure to monitor for content.

9. Give books as a present. Done in combination with other gifts like a soccer ball and book on soccer, can be addition motivation.

10. Science experiments can be a great way to get boys to read, by giving boys an experiment to carry out and the books to find the answers.

Remember, give boys the chance to choose the type of reading materials they want to read for fun and the level of difficulty they are comfortable with, and they won't regard reading as a chore but will instead love it. Present all kinds of stories in all types of formats. Boys can become readers: I've seen it with my own son now 8 who loves to read!