It was a rainy day and my mom decided to take me to the library. I was still pretty young and full of youthful energy. I remember coming home with three audiobooks on vinyl records complete with books to follow along with. Once I was finished with them, I began begging for more. My mom finally bought me a plastic record player (yes, I’m that old!) and some plastic records with storybooks. Once I was a little older I upgraded to a tape player and listened to books on tape complete with a little ding informing me of when I needed to turn each page! (CD’s weren’t a thing until high school.) Maybe it was thrilling and exciting as a child because we didn’t have many other forms of entertainment in the home. No Internet, limited TV channels, and no cellphones. Something about listening to the stories drew me in. Sure, I enjoyed watching television but listening to the audiobooks allowed my imagination to run wild while I was too young to read comfortably on my own. Then, once I was in about third grade, something clicked and I fell in love with reading. It wasn’t just something I had to do for school but it became a favorite past time. I’m an avid reader to this day.
If you have a reluctant reader, try audio books. Give them an introduction to reading through listening to stories and focusing on the story, not on the reading itself. Once the world of books is opened up to them, they may desire more and one day they may just pick up a book and begin reading! Provide your child books only a few grade levels below them with fun and exciting themes, not ones that are too babyish, and they may begin with those. You might also consider working through vocabulary words with them if you listen to the audiobooks together, such as in the car or living room. As a challenging word comes up, pause the recording, ask them if they know what it means. Sometimes words that you assume your child knows are actually going completely over his/her head. It is beneficial to stop and ask. If your child knows the meaning, reward him/her with praise that he/she knows it. If not, gently provide him/her with the definition in a conversational manner. This is a great bonding activity.
Two types of audiobooks make up a majority of audiobooks on the market. Ones where someone simply reads through the text and an audio drama where it is acted out by several different actors. Choose the best method that works for you. Mine enjoy both. Sometimes they are in the mood for the soothing sounds of LibriVox recordings (free). Other times they enjoy upbeat and vibrant audio dramas such as The Emperor’s New Clothes.
When I teach my children to read we begin with the keyword approach and then move to the every-other-page approach. At first, I pick a few sight words that I want my child to know and have them read it every time I come to it. I read most of the book except those few words. I praise him/her when they read the words correctly and then add more words as time goes on.
As they mature in their reading skills we will go through a book and I will have them read only every other page, while I read the opposite pages. This makes the process seem less daunting in their little minds. It seems more doable and before they know hey will begin to read every page of the book without a problem!
How have you helped a reluctant reader?
