Daily Tips for Families

Today's Tip for Families

12-08-2021

Boost Your Reluctant Reader's Interest in Reading

By the time they reach middle and high school, most teens can read—but many of them don’t. The problem is that too many students never learn to see reading as something they can do without a struggle.

To boost your teen's interest in reading, share these tips:

Start with short works, such as collections of short stories or poems. If your teen doesn’t like one poem or story, he can move on to another. There’s no law that says he has to read every short story in the collection.
Be patient—especially when reading older works. Ask your teen to make a commitment to spend at least as much time on reading as he would on checking social media.
Keep reading once you start. Some teens stop to look up every word they don’t know and soon lose any understanding of what the overall passage is about. Unless a word reappears—and your teen can’t understand it—have him jot it down and then keep on reading. Later, he can look up the meanings of words he doesn’t understand.
Skip the introduction to a book, if it is long and confusing. Your teen can go back to read the introduction when he's finished.
Look for other books by an author you like. Your teen may also enjoy reading biographies of authors whose works he enjoys.

Brought to you by:

Boise City Independent School District

[School Success Ideas for Families]