“Do I’ve to read? I know the story and have learnt the difficult words!”
That’s how one of my students reacted when I asked him to read aloud the lesson.
And it’s not surprising. Most children would rather do a handstand than read.
Can’t blame them though. Reading as a skill is frequently ignored. Neither parents nor educators prioritise developing this mundane and not so important skill (according to them).
When I talk to parents about improving their child’s reading abilities, they always assume I’m referring to the school textbooks. And since the child can read that, it’s all OK.
Why’s reading restricted to the school textbooks?
We’re looking at reading all wrong. It has nothing to do with being able to plough through the insipid contents of the textbooks. It’s how the child then becomes literate.
Reading is like a total workout for the brain where the brain muscles are put through a variety of exercises to make them strong.
It improves the cognitive skills of the child, opening their mind’s door to a whole new world of information.
Why Some Kids Struggle with Reading
There are 5 primary reasons (and these I discovered through my experiences in the classroom) why children are so averse to spending time reading, or struggle with it.
- Words feel like puzzles.
There are too many words that need decoding to understand. Every sentence challenges their fluency because of their limited exposure to new words.
Reading aloud means exposing themselves to ridicule because of mispronounced words.
- Reading feels like work.
Struggling with the words turns reading into a chore rather than something enjoyable.
There are a lot of rules and dos and don’ts that they’re unaware of, which makes their progress slow.
- Lack of interest.
Restricting their exposure to just the textbooks makes reading look like tedious work.
Each page looks the same with lots of content in uninspiring fonts.
Such books are not exciting or engaging or even relatable. Hence, the disinterest.
- Low confidence.
It’s a vicious cycle. The fear of failure stops them from practicing. And the lack of practice keeps them from improving. They need to break from this cycle if they want to get confident with their reading proficiency.
- Too many distractions.
Why waste time reading when they have so many other ways to entertain themselves?
Videos and games, laptops and computers. Everything but BOOKS.
There, the doors are rapidly closing for developing this crucial skill. It’s not too late if reading can be made to feel like play, and not a school assignment.
Helping Kids Gain Reading Confidence
- Praise effort, not just ability.
When they’re starting out with reading, be there for them. Help them with the difficult words. Break it up so that it no longer looks intimidating. Like an-ces-tor or in-cre-di-ble or in-ven-tor.
Praise their efforts by complementing them and giving positive feedback.
When I complimented one of the students for dealing with a difficult word by breaking it up, I saw others in the class putting in effort to do the same.
- Break it into small bits.
Go easy. Start with short stories. Conquer one page at a time.
If they see that it’s a long story or too many pages, they’ll feel overwhelmed and avoid it altogether.
Let them proceed at their own pace.
Praise the small wins to boost their confidence. It will nudge them towards the next level willingly.
I see many parents get all excited and buy the complete box set, and then expect the child to read it all in the correct sequence.
BIG mistake. Give them one book at a time to make it less stressful.
- Celebrate progress.
Celebrate their small wins. Give them a star. Or maybe a cute bookmark (sneaky, I know)!
Don’t restrict their reading to just their textbooks. Introduce them to different kinds of books to keep their interest going.
Get them pop-ups or large print books initially. Move to short stories with just a few pages. Some books also have a list of difficult words at the end for vocabulary building.
Don’t get impatient or frustrated if they want to read the same book again and again, each day.
It’s there ‘blankie” book; just introduce a new book alongside that.
- Make reading a fun activity.
At the beginning, don’t focus on them following all the rules. Give it time to build up slowly.
Avoid correcting every single mistake. It’ll make the child self-conscious.
Help them break the big words so they find it easier to read.
Gently introduce phonics so it won’t look like another task to handle. They’ll enjoy creating those word sounds. Practice it with a small word list. Even create a few nonsensical ones to make it fun.
Conclusion
The goal is to change the mindset that tells children that reading is an adventure.
It’s a great way to develop curiosity and interest while enjoying themselves.
It’s a skill that has many benefits.
Don’t rush the child to become a Shashi Tharoor. It won’t happen if they’re afraid of reading.
Remember, not all kids are the same. Each one needs a different approach. So try out various ways. Experiment, adapt and find the suitable system that works for your child.
So, which book is your child going to begin reading today?
