• Home
  • Parenting
    • Motherhood
      • Relationships
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby (0-1 years)
      • Breastfeeding
    • Toddler (2-5 years)
      • Potty Training
    • Kid (6-9 years)
    • Tween (10-12 years)
    • Teen (13-18 years)
  • Hygge
  • Creative
    • LEGO
    • Perler Beads
    • Wreaths
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall/ Autumn
  • Life Style
    • Pets
    • Financial Life
    • Our Life
    • Reviews
  • Health
    • Heart
    • Narcolepsy
    • Special Needs
  • Meet Tove Maren
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Statement
  • Shop
    • Best Selling Shirts
    • Sarcastic Shirts
    • Sleep Humor Shirts
    • Heart Mom Shirts
    • All MITN Shirts
    • Hygge & Happiness Books
    • Book Club Worthy Books
    • Parenting Books
    • LEGO Gifts

Mama In The Now

Boy Mom Life With Humor and Hygge

I use cookies on this site to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze traffic. I also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Privacy & Cookie Policy

Turn Your Reluctant Reader Into a Bookworm

Sharing is caring!

178 shares
  • Facebook28
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

There are affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations.

There are affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations.

“But Mama, I can’t read”, “Can we just do something OTHER than reading?”, “NOOOOOOOOOO, I don’t want to read!” – if these words can be heard in your home on any given afternoon during homework time, then this post is for you. One of our boys is what I would call a “reluctant reader,” – or rather a kicking and screaming reader. 

Turn your reluctant reader into a bookworm. Tips and tricks from school teachers and reading tutors.

I know that reading hasn’t quite “clicked” for him. He has yet to crack the code to reading. Once that happens, I am confident that homework struggles will be a thing of the past, as they are with his brother. Until that day, it is my job as his mother to encourage and guide him along, but in such a way that he doesn’t lose the will to learn. I need to find a way to foster his love for reading. I know it can be done, but in the meantime, the daily struggle can be tiring.

I consulted his teacher and several of my friends who are reading tutors. I am sharing their time tested strategies, in hopes of helping you turn your reluctant reader into a bookwork! Let’s do this together!

Five Finger Rule - help your child pick books at the right reading level with this rule!

Help your emerging reader find a book at the right reading level with “the Five Finger Rule”:

Have your child identify a book they find interesting, open it and start reading. For each word that they cannot read, have them raise a finger in the air.

  • 1 finger: The book is easy to read.
  • 2 fingers: The book is “just right”, the right amount of challenging and familiar.
  • 3 fingers: The book is challenging, but you can continue reading.
  • 4 fingers: The book is very challenging and should be read with someone.
  • 5 fingers: The book is too hard. Either save it for later or have it read to you.

[bctt tweet=”Turn your reluctant #reader into a bookworm. #ReadingMatters #ParentingMatters”]

Strategies to get through the daily reading assignments without tears! (Yours or your child’s):

  1. Set a timer. Being able to watch the minutes tick away was really helpful in our house. He felt in control again and that made a world of difference.
  2. Break up the time. Instead of reading for a full 20 minutes in one stretch (or whatever eternity you have been asked to read for), try to break it into smaller lots.
  3. Go for a brisk walk in between books.
  4. Do a little exercise, a few jumping jacks or “Simon says” to get the blood flowing.
  5. Offer a quick healthy snack.
  6. Incentives. You can offer non-tangible “rewards” such as “five minutes later bed time for each book read” or an impromptu trip to the playground once all the reading has been finished. Personally, I try not to offer too many incentives when it comes to things the kids are “expected” to do, such as doing home work or eating healthy. But a special treat once is a while doesn’t hurt.
  7. Read to a favorite stuffed animal or a pet.
  8. Mix the media. Let your child read regular books as well as ebooks on child-appropriate electronic device.
  9. Build a fort and read by flashlight for a change in location and lighting.
  10. Set up a designated reading nook with a chair big enough for the two of you to cuddle.
  11. Read in a quiet room without any outside distractions such as siblings, TV, electronics or falling dust. (Reluctant readers are often easily distracted, since they are looking for ways to get out of having to read!)
  12. Act out the story line as you read it and change your voices for each character.
  13. Have a family reading contest: compete to see who can log the most reading minutes or the highest number of books read over the course of a month. Your child will see you model good reading habits.
  14. Start each reading session by reviewing the book’s cover and title. Then do a “picture walk” throughout the book, discuss what is happening in each picture and then go back to read the text.
  15. Talk about the book, the characters, where it takes place and what happened in the story after you are done reading. Getting in a habit of doing this helps your child’s comprehension.
  16. Get books on topics of interest to your child. Our oldest son developed his love for reading, when his 1st grade teacher encouraged him to read more about dinosaurs.
  17. Take a day off from having your child read – and instead YOU read out loud to him. By pointing to the words as you read, he will still get a lot out of listening to the story.

In the end we have to remember that we are trying to raise a generation of book lovers. Reading is as much a developmental milestone as crawling and walking. Our child’s gross motor skills can’t be rushed, nor can reading. Our “job” is to expose them to books, to model great reading habits and then buckle up and enjoy the ride. Keep it fun, pressure-free and your child will WANT to learn to read.

What was your favorite children’s book growing up?

Mama in the Now Signature


Filed Under: Kid (6-9 years), Parenting, Tween (10-12 years) Tagged With: Kids, Parenting Shortcut

Comments

  1. Ashley says

    December 20, 2015 at 12:32 PM

    Great post! My son is three and is not too into reading, unless it is about super heroes. But this is great advice to keep in mind once he starts reading on his own!

    • Mama in the Now says

      December 24, 2015 at 3:30 PM

      Our oldest would only read about dinosaurs – so I know A LOT about dinosaurs at this point! LOL… Scholastic has an adorable set of Batman books with sightwords – our second oldest LOVES it. Just something for you to keep in mind in case you want a good superhero collection of books!

I am a Danish American mom of four boys parenting with heart, humor and hygge. Join me on this crazy ride. You will laugh more than you’d expect!

Don't Miss Out! Subscribe to the newsletter for all the latest

STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST TO HELP YOU PARENT WITH HEART AND HUMOR WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THE FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Search This Blog

Must-Read Posts!

elf on the shelf shortcuts
Little known things to do at LEGOLAND. Two LEGOLAND insiders gave me the scoop on the hidden gems within the park. Tips, tricks and awesome fun things to do in the LEGOLAND parks.
Best gifts for kids in the hospital. What do you buy a sick child in the hospital. Gift ideas for sick kids. Toy inspiration and ideas for children in the hospital. #GiftIdeas #GiftsforSickKids #GiftsforKidsintheHospital #GiftsforsickChildren #Toysforkidsinthehospital #CHDAwareness #Heartmom #HeartWarrior #MamaintheNow #ToyList
LEGO gifts for kids who have a lot of LEGO. A mother of four LEGO-loving boys gives her best shopping ideas and gift inspiration when LEGO is on the wish list. #LEGO #LEGOGifts #GiftsforBoys #LEGOGiftsforBoys #GiftsforGirls #GiftsforKids #LEGOIdeas #GiftGuide #GiftIdeas #MamaintheNow
Tove Maren Stakkestad is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Privacy Policy and Disclosure Statement

Please read our full Disclosure Statement and Privacy Policy. As an Amazon Associate, I could earn from qualifying purchases. This site uses partner links from other advertising partners.
Copyright ©2023, Mama In The Now. All Rights Reserved. Design by Pixel Me Designs
178 shares
  • 28
 

Loading Comments...