Top Tips for Reluctant Readers

Some children lack motivation when it comes to reading at home and it can be a challenge to get them to complete their home reading challenge (reading 3+ times per week). Here are some top tips to support your child when they read at home:

• So busy sounding out words they lose the flow of the story? Take it in turns to read. When parents take turns reading with their child, the child benefits from listening to the story read at a more enjoyable, quicker pace and they get a well-earned break before trying to read again. You might want to take turns reading a sentence, paragraph or a page each, or maybe the child reads first and then the adult reads for the second half of the session. Children love listening to stories whatever their age! Also, this method enables children to enjoy more interesting stories without being daunted by a huge number of pages or chapters.

• Do they think reading is boring? Find out which type of books they enjoy most and stick to that theme. Even our most reluctant readers admit that not all books are boring!

• Left their reading record at school? Write on a post it note or a separate piece of paper, or even send your child in with a note on Fridays stating how many times that they have read.

• Left their school reading book at home? Read ANY suitable book/text you can find at home. Have an ‘old favourite’ book at home to dip in and out of on days when reading books have been forgotten.

Thank you for your continued support in helping your child improve their reading skills.