Are you finding it more and more difficult to get your child to read?

As this year rolls on and my Grade 2 daughter gains more confidence with her school work, however, we are actually finding that she is becoming more resistant to reading books at home.

She goes through many excuses:

• “I’m tired” 😴
• “I want someone to read with” 👨‍👩‍👧
• “The books are boring”
• “Too easy/too hard”
• “The books are too long”
• “The books are too short” 🤨

What are we supposed to do to solve these dilemmas?

I definitely try to avoid responding with “Of course it is too short and easy! It is your baby brother’s book!” 😉😂

So, the resistance went on… (no point in arguing)

Then I remembered a discussion I had with my sister a couple of years ago.

Tam had mentioned how her son didn’t care for reading until the school librarian put him onto a genre that appealed to his individual interest.

Don’t get me wrong, they tried several books before they found the right one! Medieval fiction

As I thought about it, I remembered having a conversation with him and he was using all of these words from the medieval time frame. I had to ask him to repeat his sentence as something was out of context and we discussed the actual meaning of the word (I cannot remember what it was anymore!).

This 11 year old boy was using words outside the standard language he had been exposed to.

It was fantastic!

This little story reminded me that there are a range of positive ways to encourage our children to read.

Reading is an enjoyable activity

Try following some of these steps to finding the most interesting books for your child:

• Read to a child’s level of understanding. Infants and toddlers may like you to:
  • make the sounds visible on the page eg cow = moo or kangaroo = bounce or water = splash
  • point out the colours
  • allow the child to change the pages and try to keep up
  • make lots of action sounds eg whoosh, zoom, BANG
  • add actions to the sounds
  • include their name in the book
  • allow toddlers to say select words of the story they have memorised
• As they hit primary school, you may like to speak to the people who know them best
  • YOU can monitor which kinds of television shows your child likes to watch?
  • Your child can tell you what games they like to play with their friends
    Do any of the above brands have books? Are there any books with similar stories?
  • Their teacher can tell you what they are writing about at school
  • The school librarian can recommend various genres from their collection

Technology can be used to inspire good readers

Online options:

• There are wonderful people sharing their knowledge and love of books on their pages and in groups on Social Media.

Melissa Gijsbers has provided a link to a range of authors doing “Story Time” reads of their books on Utube and also offers reviews of children’s book and classes aimed at encouraging young writers  https://www.facebook.com/ReadForFun.com.au/

• https://readingeggs.com.au/ has been suggested by our primary school as a tool for children to have fun learning
• There are also groups on social media where you can ask other people from around the world for recommendations to suit your child’s interests and reading level
• Libraries often have books available to download and read via select reading tablets
• @BunyipCreations facebook and instagram offer fun facts, literacy tips and fun activities for children and adults

One major point that I identified with my children, is that they enjoy seeing their name in the print of the book.
Visit www.bunyipcreations.com to BUILD YOUR BOOK.
Here they can choose their favourite animals and have their name visible on selected sentences. Their input will make this a treasured book.

We hope that your child finds some special books to inspire their love of reading ❤️📖

Should you have any concerns about your child’s learning development, please approach their teacher or seek professional advice!