Five Ways to Coax Your Stubborn Child To Read

Research has shown repeatedly that students who struggle to read improve drastically with added practice. Obviously reading is much more complex than kicking a soccer ball around or shooting hoops, but, as the old adage goes, practice does make perfect!

Today we thought we’d introduce you to some simple tricks to get your child to read at home more frequently!

Be a reader!

Children learn by example, so crack open a book and make sure your child sees you devouring it. Talk about what you’re reading to your spouse and children. Get excited about the book. Reading is fun and make sure that know that!

Treat reading as a special time.

A sure way to get a kid to hate vegetables is to force them to eat their vegetables. The same goes for reading. Instead of, “you have to read for fifteen minutes before bed,” say, “if you clean your toys up quickly, you’ll get to read for an extra five minutes!

Have a reading buddy for your child.

Take your child to the toy store or allow them to pick out a special stuffed animal online. This reading buddy will gladly listen to your child read and that’s all he’s used for. Once the reading is done, your child can play with it for a little while, but it is to be reserved primarily for reading time.

Read amazing books to them.

Kids love to be read to! Model oral reading and share the great adventures that happen in books. Get just as excited about your child’s book as you do about yours.

Do repeated readings.

Often stubborn readers lack confidence and one sure way to improve that is to allow them to read the same page 2-3 times. This not only strengthens their ability to identify sight words (which is one of MANY components in reading), but it helps them to gain the confidence necessary to keep on reading.