Skip to Content
Register · Login
About Theme

A Letterboxing Community

Atlas Quest
Search Edit Search

Read Thread: Need some advise

Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Jul 1, 2009 4:30am
Thread (disabled) Board
My son will be going into the 4th grade this coming school year. He hates to read. Does anyone have some tricks of the trade to get their children to love reading? He also hates to write but I am working on that. I know that they go hand in hand. I am trying the reading program through the local library. They give out prizes after you read so many pages. He thinks that he needs to do that all at once. I tell him he doesn't have too. He can read just a few pages one night and few more the next night. But he is still having a hard time. Any advise will be welcoming.
Cedar
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 1, 2009 4:45am
Thread (disabled) Board
A few thoughts that have worked for some other reluctant readers I have known. (And not worked for a few as well--use what works for you)

First, high interest books!! This can be challenging at the middle levels, I know. Look back over the last few days at the Percy Jackson thread. Lots of good suggestions there. I know one boy who finds fiction excruciating but give him a biography of a sports star or military history and he goes to town. High-interest magazines can also be good.

Check out http://www.guysread.com Lots of good stuff there!

Limit his contest reading time. Sounds counter-intuitive, I know, but it sounds like he gets frustrated trying to complete the whole amount in one time, so tell him he can only read 5 pages or for 15 minutes --then give him a small reward (and i mean small-like a jolly rancher, a quarter, whatever)

Read to him. My kids are 12,10, and 7. All avid readers. I still read to them. Pick a book he is interested in but might be a bit above his level and read. We like to do this at bedtime--everybody piles into my bed, I read out loud, then we all return to whichever book we are currently reading independently.

Hope this helps get you started. Truthfully, he may never love reading. Some people don't. But you will know that you gave him the opportunity to fully explore the world of books.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 1, 2009 5:12am
Thread (disabled) Board
Find things he is interested in and get reading materials on that topic.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 1, 2009 5:18am
Thread (disabled) Board
My son will be going into the 4th grade this coming school year. He hates to read.

Sometimes they hate to read because it's too much like work, so make it easy. Start with books that are easy and quick to read. Try a series of books like The Magic Treehouse books that are made to grow with the child - they become more difficult as the series progresses.

Also, there are graded readers (I found at Walmart). They had ones about super heroes, lizards, historical figures, just to name a few. It was easy to find different subjects to interest my son at at age from these books.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 1, 2009 8:00am
Thread (disabled) Board
Once you find high interest books, start reading one to him. Then just leave the book out. I know of many kids who just couldn't wait for mom to finish the story and picked it up on their own. I also agree with the suggestion of something easy at this point so he doesn't struggle.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 1, 2009 8:16am
Thread (disabled) Board
I totally agree that the trick is to find something fun to read. And the advice to start with reading aloud a chapter or two, and leave the book accessible. Lots of kids will read ahead, and starting them off not only introduces them to the book but gives them a sense of how it should sound in their heads as they read.

Start with SHORT books. It sounds like he wants to finish in one sitting. Regardless of what the "No-Child-Left-Behind" curriculum says, there is nothing wrong with advanced picture books. Patricia Polacco has some great ones. So does Demi. Our library has even started an in-between section for long picture books that aren't chapter books, but too advanced for preschoolers.

Kate DiCamillo's books tend to have generous sized text and short chapters. The Bunnicula series by Howe actually has some Easy Readers to get your feet wet, and then more grade level books. Louis Sachar's Wayside school books enchant kids (especially boys), and he has a series of Marvin Redpost books that are easy reads. Shel Silverstein's poetry books are very popular, and easy to take in short bursts.

Manga can also be a good in-between. The Warriors series (its about cats in the wild) seems to be very popular in the 4th and 5th grades (and middle school, too) My 5th grader read the series at the beginning of last last year on the advice of a friend, and her 2nd grade sister is starting the manga spin off, looking forward to being old enough for the full series.

Also, you can use "digital bookmarks" to try and make reading a game. They have timers that go up or down, my dd loved hers although she can never find it. *sigh*.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 1, 2009 9:01am
Thread (disabled) Board
See if the school librarian can get a hold of any of the Scholastic book preview movies for his grade level. They normally send them to the schools before a book fair. The movies make the books sound really exciting so the kids want to buy them. When my daughter sees those movies she wants to buy every book she sees. The idea of Scholastic pushing the books on kids that way disturbs me, but maybe they could help build your son's interest in reading.

Make sure you take the time to read also. Kids who see their parents read tend to like reading more. Also, he doesn't have to just be reading books, maybe find some magazines that he would be interested in. Just make sure they have good articles for him to read. One really good magazine is Kids Discover. Each magazine focuses on a topic; knight & castles, oceans, volcanoes, etc.. My daughter really enjoys them. Our library lets us count things like that for the summer reading program, maybe yours will too.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 1, 2009 12:48pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Definitely need books that are high interest even if they seem to be "low quality" literature. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is sure to be a success, but make sure you are comfortable with the content first. Graphic novels like Bone, comics like Calvin and Hobbes, sports books (even if he only reads the captions), the sports page of the newspaper (that's still reading!!)

I definitely agree that you can read together too. Tale of Desperaux is a favorite read aloud of mine and my students.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408685 by HarmonyMA
Jul 1, 2009 1:17pm
Thread (disabled) Board
comics like Calvin and Hobbes

I love Calvin and Hobbes! I was just recently moving my books into a new bookcase and I was so happy I hadn't given away all my Calvin and Hobbes (as I almost did) during our many moves.

My son is young, but we have been reading some of the Jigsaw Jones books. A bit of a mystery to be solved in each book. I read him a chapter or two each night. Before we start we discuss what has happend in the book up to that point so I know he understood the previous chapters. He asks lots of questions along the way.

NEknitter
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 1, 2009 1:30pm
Thread (disabled) Board
My eight year old doesn't like fiction. He is very limited in the fiction he will "tolerate". He likes mysteries but doesn't like them if they are too scary. It is impossible to judge what he will consider too scary. :-)

He will however read all the non-fiction about science topics (astronomy, magnetism, chemistry, geology, etc.) that he can get his hands on.

I have tried to interest him in fiction but it's a lost cause. Now I only "make" him read fiction for class assignments. He loves summer because he can read only non-fiction if he wants to.

I agree with the ones who have said you need high interest books but don't be surprised if the high interest books turn out to be non-fiction. Your guy sounds a lot like mine. :-)

Knit Wit
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408597 by Uncorny Acorns
Jul 1, 2009 2:50pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I'm going to echo the Manga suggestion. I work with kids, and even those that don't like to read will read Manga. And there is so much of it available out there these days. If you go this route, however, preview them first. There can be swearing, nudity, and sexual content even in ones aimed for fairly young readers.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 1, 2009 3:21pm
Thread (disabled) Board
my ds is going into 5th, i have been there too. he started off loving fact books. he got the guiness book of world records and loves that one, lots of pics, pages and pages of (useless :) ) facts. it's also easy to start and stop reading them, no chapters/pages to finish. then someone in his class dared him to read HP and he really enjoys that too. i can't get him to read this summer tho, so he will be taking some RC car mags on vacay. at least it's something with words. he's entering 5th w/a 7.4 reading level. HTH

Happy B
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 3, 2009 6:15am
Thread (disabled) Board
Does anyone have some tricks of the trade to get their children to love reading?

Now this might be hard for you to do, but I thought I would share with you one of our tricks here.

Now we work with kids for 8 yrs old to 18. Most are very behind in reading. They have to read. learn to read. For all of them. no matter the age. . .

Every Night (no exceptions even if it is late) We gather all the boys in the front room. Give them something warm to snack. (cookie, tortilla with cheese, toast, etc. and milk) Not too much to eat, but it becomes tradition - which is even better.

I sit in my chair they find a seat somewhere, maybe a blanket and pillow is brought into the room. We read a book (usually a preteen/ early teen book - one with chapters) I read exactly 15 min. to them. Not one minute longer. That means that I can stop mid paragraph, mid chapter, mid page. They go to bed not knowing how it ends. So they say (every night) - can we finish this - what happens next. I cannot take it. The only way we finish reading the section we are on is if the boys take turns reading it. So maybe one boys finishes it on Monday and another on Tuesday, etc.

The trick is that reading together has to not be optional - they have to be there.

Right now we have a 13 yr old who moved in July 2008. He was reading at 2ND grade level - very behind. He can now finish a book all on his own. He is now reading at 6Th grade level.

Now this is a hugh commitment, but it does pay off!
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #409729 by S and D
Jul 3, 2009 9:36am
Thread (disabled) Board
So awesome of you to make that commitment to your boys. The routine of reading at the same time every day is huge, and I should totally work on that with my own kids.

As far as general tips for kids who aren't gung ho, I think a big thing is to just really carefully select the reading material. There is a lot of good nonfiction out there that is interesting to older kids, but easily decoded.

And kids like series - - the setting and character are familiar, and they know what sort of situation the characters will encounter.

I am also a big fan of magazines, and comic books and other "junk." Before anyone has a fit, think about what we all read. Most adults who read for pleasure do not read award winning literature beyond a book club maybe - - - we read magazines (and not usually Smithsonian), and plot driven fiction like romances, westerns, and crime dramas. And we occassionally read the directions to a new camera. Bring on Ranger Rick and the Amazing Adventures of Spider Man.

That said, younger grades learn to read and older kids read to learn so everyone should have good strategies, especially with nonfiction and texts and basic plot analysis.

And some flat out bribing during summer doesn't hurt any. B&N has book give aways for a certain amount of books read, and the public library also has programs.

Good luck.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #409815 by 4 Ch
Jul 3, 2009 7:33pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Thank you all for your advise. I will try to put a little of everything in place for my son. We did go to B&N the other day and I said that he could pick out 1 book of his choice. I think that my problem was actually me. I wanted him to pick out an actually book, not a comic book. Anyway, he picked out The 39 Clues. I asked him to read just one chapter on the way home. And he did. So I told him that I would read the next chapter when we got home. He said that was a great idea that we switch reading chapters.

Thank you again.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408514 by Cedar
Jul 6, 2009 9:38am
Thread (disabled) Board
You can also try getting him on to Book Adventure. He can read books, then take quizzes and earn points so he can win prizes. It's totally free and I even use it at school.
Re: Need some advise
Board: Reading Room
Reply to: #408794 by Happy B
Jul 6, 2009 9:40am
Thread (disabled) Board
my ds is going into 5th, i have been there too.

ds...Designated Student?