What to Do With Kids Who Can Read, But Don’t

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By Mark W.F. Condon, Unite for Literacy vice president

Getting children who can read, but don’t, to become children who can read and do is challenging. It’s such a thrill when children realize, “HEY!  I can read! Woohoo!” And then it’s so disappointing to find out that some of those same children actually dislike reading.

The single inarguable goal for educating our children is that when they exit formal schooling, they will be avid readers who continue to learn and grow, well after formal schooling has ended for them. Sure, there are all kinds of other things they should learn during the academic years. However, avid readers are, by definition, lifelong learners. If children aren’t developing into delighted readers, then regardless of all the wonderful things they may learn from family or teachers, the absence of ongoing input from self-selected books throughout the rest of their lives will limit their future intellectual and linguistic growth.

Sadly, once children learn to dislike something that really is wonderful (like reading…or asparagus) parents and teachers have a hard time turning them around.

What holds kids back from becoming avid readers?

Children may not become avid readers because they feel intimidated by the responsibility that comes with independence, like choosing and reading books on their own, without help. Or they fear encountering “big words.” Or perhaps they’re concerned that all books will be as unfulfilling as those they were assigned to read in school.

Kids are conservative by nature. They like what they like and they don’t like what they don’t like. And they don’t like change.

Children new to books may feel comfortable being offered daily support in learning via picture books, where they safely learn how books and print work. But graduating to chapter books with lots of words and few or no pictures may be scary to some children. They might feel they aren’t ready for books with so many pages or words.

To help kids overcome these emotional barriers, capable readers can lead them in taking small steps into that mysterious world of chapter books. “Hey Ada, you’re gonna love this book! Junie B. Jones is a lot like you. She’s so smart and funny. And she’s got a baby brother like yours, too! Listen and see what you think.”  Through animated read alouds, commenting on particular events and inviting casual conversation about the characters or possibilities, we share our enjoyment of what is unfolding. If teachers, older family members and friends can get kids hooked on one kind of book–a series, an author, a topic, then supporting them in moving forward through challenging school standards and into wide reading is no longer a slog. It can be a new adventure for kids!

The School Library Journal offers some excellent recommendations for stand-alone single and series books for kids who are hesitant about chapter books. What’s wonderful about them is that they feature many of the same characteristics as picture books: short sentences, simple vocabulary, frequent if not constant pictures, rhyming and the like. “Representing a variety of genres and styles, these engaging tales use action, humor, suspense, and relatable emotions to reel in newly confident readers and help shepherd them along the path to becoming lifelong book lovers,” says Joy Fleishaker, author of “From Easy Readers to First Chapter Books: Titles to Ease the Transition.”

Adults do things because they need to or because they have to for their jobs or to help them make their lives more manageable. Children aren’t often motivated by such rationality, so reading isn’t something that they will do because they must or should. Children’s work is play. If reading is a fun part of their play lives and personally relevant to them, they’ll eagerly choose to do it. Adults who know children well can help them find books that connect with their lives or that may spark new interests. And those who are encouraged and supported by teachers and family for their independence in doing so will eventually move along to select and read longer, more complex books. With this kind of caring support, kids soon discover the wonderful opportunities and endless joyful experiences available to them through reading and off they go, on their way to lifelong learning.