10 Ways to Motivate Your Child to Read
by Marsha Wiese
February 12, 2008
10 Ways to Motivate Your Child to Read
1. Read aloud daily, even if your child knows how to read. For older children, pick something slightly above their ability.
2. Chat about what you’ve read. Share what you liked about your books and if you learned anything from them.
3. Keep a wide variety of reading materials handy: picture books, activity books, beginning chapter books, colorful magazines, and even comic books.
4. Create a Family Book Chart where you can write down the books you’ve read and rate them from one to five stars.
5. Make visits to the library fun family outings. Stop for a treat afterwards and show each other your books when you get home.
6. Have your child read the book before seeing a movie version of it.
7. Find books and/or magazines that tie in with your child’s interests. For a car lover, for example, check out books on cars or subscribe to an auto magazine.
8. For reluctant readers, choose books a couple of grade levels below their grade, if a book is too challenging, your child might get frustrated and give up.
9. Tie in reading with family activities. For example, before going to the beach, get a book about fish or tide pools.
10. Encourage your child to reread favorite books, as many times as he or she wants.
