Getting a Reluctant Reader to Read

It's been said that it takes 1000 hours of reading to become a proficient reader. If that be the case, how then do you get a reluctant reader to read--let alone read for 1000 hours? Here are some tricks a parent or tutor might use to motivate a reluctant reader and get that reader to want to read.

Begin with the obvious. Find something the reluctant reader enjoys reading. If you're a parent, you already know some of the topics that inspire or motivate your child. If you're a classroom teacher or tutor, it might require a little dective work to uncover topics that motivate a reluctant reader and inspire him or her to read.

Next, go for the tried-and-true. Comic books and picture books are usually the ticket needed to motivate a reluctant reader. Black-and-white illustrations are better than no illustrations, but bright colorful photos and full-page illustrations seem to be more motivational than stick-figure drawings and single-color graphics.

Comic books are usually high-action or funny--both of which are apt to motivate a reluctant reader to read. Along the lines of high-action, you might also consider short story high-action pieces. There's something about the length of a story that can make or break reading for the reluctant reader. Keep the story short, action-packed, full of illustrations, and seasoned with humor.

Children's poetry books are motivational reading. For reluctant readers, getting to the ending punch line is the goal. For this reason, I often use funny kid's poetry when I tutor reluctant readers. In fact, I published Space Between My Teeth, a kid's poetry book resource that I use in getting reluctant readers to read. Here's the first poem in my kid's poetry book.

Space between My Teeth

I have a space between my teeth
That lets the milkshake in,
And I don't even need a straw
Or napkin for my chin.

It's great for whistles and it is
My pencil holding spot.
It saves on toothpaste cuz' I can't
Brush what I haven't got.

If the goal is to get a reluctant reader to read, then reading must seem effortless and worth the goal of reading. As a parent, you can easily get a kid to read what's sitting in front of him or her on a table. Cereal boxes are loaded with reading material. Set the cereal box on the table when your child is eating that bowl of breakfast cereal.

Furthermore, leave reading materials on counters, in the bathroom, on the car seat--wherever your child might go. And don't be surprised when he or she picks up that reading material--just because it's there.

Think white space and font size in reading material. Shoot for lots of white space on a page that you want your reluctant reader to read, and do your best to incorporate materials with increased letter size. Large print is easier to read and may motivate a reluctant reader. White space on a page means the page isn't packed with row after row of solid text--a surefire way to turn away a reluctant reader.

The best way to motivate a reluctant reader is to provide reading material that encourages reading. This means keeping reading material funny with lots of white space throughout, keeping it packed with colorful illustrations, and choosing topics that make a reluctant reader want to read to learn more.

Source:

Space Between My Teeth, Funny Poems for Kids, by J. Ellen Fedder, copyright 2005, iUniverse.