The Reluctant Reader

Have you ever wondered what makes a person a reader? Were they born that way? Is there some as-yet-to-be-discovered gene that instills a love of reading in kids from birth? Is it nature or nurture? Did the parents read to them in-utero? As an infant? Toddler? Preschooler? Honestly nobody really knows, though with all deep questions like this, many years have been spent looking for answers. The truth is, it probably has a little to do with both. We’ve known families where some of the children are almost rabid readers and others can’t be bothered. Some families have parents who read all the time, but their kids have no interest in it. There are other instances where the parents are not readers, but the kids have an insatiable appetite for books. There is no magic formula for growing readers, but there are some steps you can take to help nudge them in the right direction.

First, we should probably explain the different aspects that make up reading. There are three main components. The first, and earliest, is decoding. This is just what it sounds like. In order to read, kids need to figure out what that particular grouping of letters sounds like. To be able to do this, they need to know and understand not only the letters of the alphabet, but what each one sounds like, which can be tricky because many of them have more than one sound. Now there are rules, standards, that help us determine what sound a letter will make in certain situations, For instance, in general, if a word begins with “c” and is followed by an “a”, “o”, or “u”, the “c” will make its hard sound (think cap, cop, cup) but if the beginning “c” is followed by an “e”, “i”, or “y”, the “c” will make its soft sound (think cell, cider, cyst). The English language has hundreds of rules like this, as well as exceptions to every rule. And it’s not just the 26 letters of the alphabet (and their various sounds). There are other distinct sounds (think “th” sh”, etc). Because of this, decoding can be very challenging for young kids. And there are a number of popular methods for teaching decoding, a couple of those being whole word and phonics. 

Once decoding has been established, kids are well on their way to being readers. The next hurdle is fluency. This has three main components. First is accuracy. Is the child accurately reading the words (decoding!), and in the right order? Second is rate or speed. A child should be able to read at a steady, even pace, not too fast nor too slow. Lastly is prosody or expression. This section includes intonation, pitch, emphasis, and rhythm. The goal is to make the reading not sound robotic. As you can probably guess, if a child is struggling with decoding, fluency will be very difficult for them.

After decoding and fluency, the child can move into comprehension. This is understanding what has been read. As you can imagine, if they are struggling in any of the first two aspects, comprehension will be nearly impossible. They will be expending so much of their brainpower and energy on figuring out the words and getting everything in the right order, that comprehension can go right out the window. And who wants to read if you can’t understand what you are reading? That would be like watching a movie in a different language, with no subtitles. Who’s going to sign up for that? 

Is it any wonder that we have reluctant readers? Those of us who love to read generally do so to relax, to explore new worlds, meet fascinating characters, relive historical events, and escape. Reading, for readers, is fun! But imagine if it wasn’t fun? Would you do it? Probably not. Add in busy childhood schedules, social media, YouTube, movies and tv streaming on demand, and it is not hard to figure out why kids who struggle with reading choose not to participate.

So how do we grow readers? One of the foremost educators on this subject is Donalyn Miller, a 6th grade teacher from Texas and the author and co-author of countless books and articles about free reading and building positive reading communities. If you have not heard of her, and you are an educator, speech therapist, parent, grandparent, or guardian, we highly recommend looking into her. She runs the Nerdy Book Club blog as well as a handful of reading challenges. She is on boards, advisory panels, and runs workshops for teachers far and wide. (We have done a workshop with her and believe us when we say, she is awesome!!) She is an expert on all things reading. She is a staunch advocate of free reading…giving kids the opportunity to choose their own books, as well as the time and space to read them. In her book, Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer’s Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits, she says, “If we really want our students to become wild readers, independent of our support and oversight, sometimes the best thing we can do is get out of the way.” 

Ms. Miller, known in the educational community as The Book Whisperer (which is also the title of one of her most read books), is a strong proponent of setting a good example by reading yourself, talking about books in everyday conversations, giving kids the time to read, getting to know them, their likes and dislikes, and then putting books in their hands that fit those interests. Not to force them to read them, but to give them choices. She also believes, and we agree, that reading is reading is reading. Be it a book, fiction or nonfiction, graphic novel, comic book, magazine, cereal box, instruction manual, as well as a paper book, book on an e-reader, book reading app, or audiobook, whatever it is that hooks a kid’s interest is what they should be reading. 

We also need to be cognizant of reading level. Especially with older, struggling readers. Kids should be reading at a level that they can decode and understand. If they are reading too high, it will go right over their heads. If they are reading too low, they will be bored and quit. The issue is that older kids who struggle will be bored with on-level books for them. For this reason, audiobooks and book reading apps are a great idea. It grants literary access to books that interest kids of their age. 

We believe that most kids don’t really know who they are as a reader. In the educational systems of today, especially in lower elementary, kids are not given a great deal of choice in their reading. When they are learning to read, they generally cycle through a series of small paper books on a variety of subjects, but scripted and force fed. As kids mature and move into upper elementary, they don’t have a lot of practice with understanding the different genres of literature and knowing what they like and what they don’t like. They might pick books based on the picture on the cover, or based on hearing a friend talk about it. Those can be great choices, but ultimately kids need to understand themselves. Do they like fiction or nonfiction? Are they into history, science, space travel, or mythical creatures? Do they like to solve mysteries, learn about famous people and places, read poetry, or read about kids like them, who lead similar lives, face similar challenges, or play similar sports? Teaching kids about the different genres is key. Talking to them about their likes and dislikes, hopes, dreams, problems or fears, we, as adults, can get a good handle on a couple of different directions. Then we need to produce some choices. If you are a teacher or an avid reader of children’s literature, you probably have a good list of authors and books. If not, ask your local librarian or book store worker. You can also do some online research. Find the hot books out there. Read a couple yourself, or go on an app like Goodreads to get some recommendations. Look into comic books or graphic novels. No matter what your personal thoughts on this genre of reading, the facts are clear, these are gateway reads. They are a fabulous way to hook kids into reading. 

This is not an easy fix, but it for sure is one that you can work on and make an impact in your kids’ lives. Read books yourself (and let your kids see you doing so), read as a family (get everyone a copy, set challenges, have a competition, partner read, watch a movie of the book after you are done), get excited about books, talk about books, get your kids a library card (and visit the library often…they are a fabulous resource), visit book stores, give books as gifts (or better yet, bookstore gift cards, so they can pick their own books), build your home or classroom library and set challenges that do not allow complacency. Raise the bar. The literary world is so filled with wonder for kids of all ages. Lastly, don’t give up. Stay positive. Give your kids the time and space to read and they will come to the table. 

Thank you for READING, :) 

Jill B, M.A., M.Ed., CCC-SLP