We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
It’s true my struggling reader barely picked up a book during 3rd grade.
My son, my old soul who was closer to 35 than he was to 10. My son who at four years old was begging me to read the next chapters in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and discussing the intricacies of the story with me didn’t want to read. Or couldn’t read. At least not successfully on his own and without a lot of anxiety and frustration. What in the world was going on?
It all started at the beginning of 3rd grade with the Chocolate Touch.
A fantastic book, with a great storyline that was right on my son’s reading level. But, I forced him to read it. Every day. One chapter at a time through tears, tantrums, fits of frustration, and just plain refusal.
But, I pushed through it continuing to tell myself it would get better. He would eventually get over this. And, of course, that I’m doing the right thing by not letting him “get out of it.”
But… day after day as I prayed and watched my child I didn’t see a disrespectful or lazy kid. Instead, I saw a child who desperately wanted to be heard, who was so frustrated and didn’t know how to express it any differently than he was. And, I started to see that, at least part of, the problem might be my own pride. Ouch.
So, through continued prayer, discussing it with my husband, and trusting my gut. I decided to stop the forced reading. In fact, I told him that I wasn’t going to make him read anything anymore. It was up to him when and if he read. I left it at that. And, much to my great anxiety he took me up on it.
And, It would be almost a year before he read a real book again.
In the rest of this article, I’m going to be sharing everything I did during that year to encourage a love of reading in my son. My tips, advice, strategies, and candid fears. It’s long mama, like 2000+ words long! So, grab a cup of coffee and curl up because I’m taking you behind the scenes, into my story of helping my son love to read.
My Struggle
I instinctively knew that my son had to love reading before we could get anywhere. All on his own he had to come to the realization that reading was valuable before it would be something he felt successful with.
I was on a serious mission. My job for the next year was to convince my son that reading was a valuable endeavor and I worked hard at it.
And, I would like to tell you that I was super cool during this year-long reading hiatus. That I sat back and smiled knowingly at my son believing and trusting that he would read in his own time.
But, heck no! That’s not at all how it happened.
You guys, this was so painful for me. It was hard. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I was full of fear.
Looking back I can see many times in my life when those moments that felt like an accidental ride down a slip-n-slide were the moments that changed things. The moments when God was working the hardest for my good. When great things were taking shape. But, while it’s happening it just stinks. And this was one of those times for me.
I had effectively put my son’s literacy or illiteracy in his own hands. His 8-year-old hands. And, I didn’t want to lie to him. I couldn’t take back what I’d said.
Could I? I wondered. I bargained with myself. Irrational and perfectly rational fears became the norm. I would worry that he would never pick up a book again. I set dates for when enough would be enough. There had to be an end I could plan for, or so I thought.
I wasn’t patient in the process, or even in my own head. To him, I just simply kept my promise. He was not asked to read another book.
So, below I share the strategies I used during this time of waiting. Everything I did to encourage a love of reading and help my son find joy in the pages of his books.
Strategies for Helping a Struggling Reader
Heart First
If your goal is to create a lifelong love of reading then you have to get to their heart first. Find the thing that gets them more excited than anything else. What is the one thing they never stop talking about? What do they love? Start with their interests when choosing titles for them.
Read-Alouds
This has to be at the top of my strategies list because it’s just that important. I cannot tell you enough how much this helps. If I could reach through your iPhone screen and reassure you that this is the best time you will spend with your struggling reader, I would.
From birth, I was reading to my son. At about 6 months I noticed that when I read aloud to him it was about the only time that he sat still, or more accurately, laid still. I would put him on my bed and lay down next to him holding the book over our heads, so I could read and he could see the pictures. And, he would stay still. It was the only time he wasn’t moving.
It became a thing that bonded us instantly no matter what was going on. And, I continued to read-aloud.
And now my son says that when he reads he hears my voice in his head. That makes my mama’s heart so happy!
But, aside from strengthing your relationship, what will reading aloud do for your struggling reader?
- It provides background knowledge
- Exposes them to new vocabulary
- Gets them invested emotionally in a story
- Sets their minds on thinking about the problems in the story and how the characters might solve them
Reading comprehension at its core is thinking about what you’re reading. Read alouds give our kids a chance to think about books without the struggles their facing getting in the way of their thinking. And since we’re reading it to them, we can stop and propose questions, model this thinking by doing it out loud, and of course, share the excitement of reading a good book.
Non-Fiction
Finding non-fiction titles that relate to your child’s interests is like cheating, in a good way! Your child won’t feel the same way about a non-fiction book that they do about a chapter book. This is for a few reasons. If they’re struggling to follow storylines, and character development in a traditional chapter book then a non-fiction book may be just what they need.
That’s because they read them differently. They can typically open to any page in a non-fiction book and find facts or little snippets of interesting information about the topic. They don’t have to start on page one and read sequentially. Because of this, they can get a lot out of a short time looking at a non-fiction book. Making them value and have good feelings toward their time spent reading. And, while they’re browsing these topic type books they are increasing their background knowledge and vocabulary. Things that will aid them later as they read traditional texts.
Use A Book Series
I have heard some negative impressions of the Magic Tree House book series over the years. And, it’s true that these books may not be the finest literature. But, they aren’t meant to be. While the text may not be as challenging as other titles, they do not talk down to our young readers. Instead, they give them an opportunity to learn about many topics on an easy reading level. And, they can give a struggling reader so much confidence in their reading ability that they are truly priceless. So, I believe that avoiding this book series would be a big mistake. And, I would encourage you to introduce it to your struggling reader if you haven’t already for a few reasons.
- Using a book series is a great strategy for helping struggling readers. Because each time after the first book, they will already be familiar with parts of the story. Readers who struggle with comprehension have a lot coming at them at once when they pick up a new book. They may be struggling with unfamiliar vocabulary words, a lack of background knowledge on the general topic of the book, plus a brand new storyline and characters to follow along with.
2. They’ll feel comfortable immediately. If they’ve already read a Magic Tree House book then they will be familiar with Jack and Annie, their magic treehouse, and even the general outline of how the story unfolds. They can focus on learning new vocabulary words they come across and the new background knowledge like facts, trivia, history etc. that is introduced in the story. And, while building reading confidence, it is also setting them up for success later when they are reading on their own.
Try reading aloud a few of the first titles to get them familiar with the characters and the structure of the stories. And, try to have titles around that pertain to your child’s particular interests, so they are more enticed to pick one up. There are literally hundreds and they’re on every topic you can imagine.
And, many of the books have a companion Fact Tracker book, like this one about Ancient Egypt, Mummies and Pyramids that’s a companion to Book #3 Mummies in the Morning. These Fact Trackers are a great way to extend a topic of interest and provide additional reading material that they can successfully read.
Library
Even though my son wasn’t forced to read we still went to the library regularly. And, he was allowed to pick out anything he wanted. Yes, even comic books.
Here’s what you can do while you’re child surfs the comic book stacks.
Scour the library for the specific topics that might interest your child. That’s what I did and I brought piles of those books home. Anything I thought he might be remotely interested in.
Then, I left them in his room, in the living room, on the kitchen table. Everywhere and anywhere he might see them. Even the magazine rack in the bathroom. If he picked them up that was great, but if he didn’t that was ok too. Every week was like an experiment. I watched closely as he gravitated towards certain books more than others. I took note of the type of book it was, the topics he got excited about. And, I used that information to round up a whole new pile of books the next time we went to the library.
Wherever & Whenever
Let them read anything they are willing to read. You have to let go of the perfect reading list and all the titles you wish they would read. Don’t turn up your nose at anything they choose to read. Celebrate their reading, no matter what it is.
And, let them read whenever they want. Don’t expect their reading time to conform to a schedule. If they only want to look at books at bedtime, even if it’s because they should already be sleeping, then let it happen. Even if you have to make bedtime a little earlier so that there is time for this, which is what I did. That was how my son read and got the most out of his reading.
Dealing with Noise & Sensory Issues
Another reason my son always wanted to stay up reading at night was that he has noise and sensory issues.
He struggles with noise and distractions when he’s trying to concentrate, which is also one of his unique reading struggles. He just can’t get anything out of it if there’s too much noise around him.
This is actually still a problem and we’ve decided this year to invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones just for when he’s reading or trying to do schoolwork that requires his undivided attention.
Our Moment of Victory
He hadn’t read a real book in almost a year.
And, then it happened. One morning he picked up Dinosaurs Before Dark and started reading. School was supposed to happen that day. I had things planned. But, I ignored them all. I didn’t interrupt him and he read all day. Until he finished the book!
It was a victorious moment for me that lasted all day as I watched him curled up in blankets and pillows on the living room floor.
That day of binge reading was certainly a victory for both of us. But, the hurdles didn’t completely end there. For 2 more years, though he loved reading (self-selected titles), he still struggled deeply. But, these were different struggles because they were mostly self-imposed. He would frustrate himself, sometimes to tears, trying to read Percy Jackson. Now, I love Percy Jackson as much as the next mom, but he just wasn’t ready for the text.
What to Do When They Want to Read Above Their Level
And, this very real disappointment could’ve crushed him. But, I kept searching. Seeking new titles to get him interested that were more on his reading level, but still provided the intrigue, excitement, and adventure he craved form his reading time. I recently put together two book lists specifically for boys. But, of course, these titles might be perfect for your girls as well.
And when I couldn’t find the right thing I would read those titles that were just out of reach, like Percy Jackson and others like it. Yes, again with the reading aloud;)
Check out my Book Lists Board on Pinterest for book lists by grade level and interest.
https://www.pinterest.com/poolnoodlespixiedust/book-lists/
Over the course of a (very long) year, I held to the strategies I outlined above to help my struggling reader become successful.
Now, there are times I wonder what would’ve happened had I not let him find the joy of reading for himself?
Are you in a similar situation? I hope some of the ideas I’ve given here can help you and your child through this time. Just don’t give up mama, there is so much you can do besides forcing it.
Let me know what you’re struggling with in the comments and if you use some of these strategies with your kiddo.
Heidi
