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Reasons why your child is not reading
Updated: Dec 7, 2021
"I don't like to read..." or "I don't want to read..." How many times have you heard that? In this blog post, we’ll share the ways you can get your child to show interest in reading.
1. Mental Block
Your child correlates reading with negativity. This could be due to embarrassment or frustration due to not being a good reader. Children in class don't want to be the student that does not know anything, especially the kid that can't read. Like adults, children also enjoy knowing they are good at something. Your child needs to see reading as a fun hobby.
2. Reading is boring
Yeaup. Have you heard the way you read? Record your voice, play it back, and ask yourself, "Would I want to hear my voice?" Use infliction or get into character; assign a voice for each character in the story. Maybe you could dress up as one of the characters while your child is the protagonist! Most importantly, get excited about reading! Your energy as a parent has so much influence over your child. Don't concern yourself about feeling awkward--it may be new to you! Your child may not have seen this side of you. If your son or daughter sees that you are having fun, they will want to have fun too!
3. Your child doesn't see you read
Monkey see, monkey do! If you want your child to be a prayer warrior, they need to SEE you praying. If you want your child to be respectful and have manners, they have to SEE you be respectful and using manners towards others. It's one thing to tell your child what they should be doing. It's another thing to model the behaviors that you wish to see in them. You read your emails, the newspaper, even Essence, Time, or Bazaar magazine. Point is, make sure your child see's you reading. Schedule a minimum of 15 minutes a day. This could be right before bed, in the morning before school, or right after dinner time. That's 1hr and 15 minutes of reading Monday - Friday.
4. Your child genuinely doesn't like the books you give them
I've heard parents say:
"I'm not going to buy another book until he completes at least one book"
"I want her to read chapter books."
"This is a Christian household, so he has Christian children's books to read."
Among many others. Do you know what these statements have in common? They are all about what the parent wants and have nothing to do with the child. You mean well, I'm sure you do. But being that your child doesn't enjoy reading or is a struggling reader, you have to make sure he actually likes the genre or type of book. You already can read and you might even enjoy reading. It's about making sure that your child develops a love for reading, so you can't make it about what you want (sorry, not sorry). Besides, some books aren't what you thought it would be. As an adult, I can name at least 2 books that I put down because they weren't interesting. The cover caught my attention, the book blurb on the back of the book reeled me in, but it was a dud! Is your child adventurous? Curious about how things work? Questions the past? Is he a comedian at heart? Find books that resonate with your child's personality or what he or she naturally gravitates too.
Need some book recommendations to get started? Maybe you're ready to take the next step and get your child a Reading Coach! Schedule a Parent Connection Call here, to determine which service is right for you.