A quick follow-up post for parents...

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Hello again,


Last time, I outlined some of the main reasons why building a reading habit is so beneficial for young people. Now, I want to share a few practical tips that parents have asked for in recent years to get started.


The first thing to consider is why your child has lost the reading habit. Is it because she…

a) is a bit bored of children’s fiction and needs more of a challenge?

b) feels like she has less time for reading due to other commitments like clubs and homework?

c) gets distracted by other things? or…

d) is too tired for reading at the end of a long day at school?

 

It might be worth asking this. Often, students say they like reading even while admitting that they are not doing much of it at the moment. But all of these causes can be addressed in a way that nudges them back towards a book.

 

Here are some tips to get your child back into a reading habit:

 

  • Find books that relate to their interests, their favourite films or their favourite people (this bookfinder might help).
  • Read something a bit more challenging (e.g. a classic text like Little Women, Treasure Island, Moonfleet, Dracula, The Hobbit, The Secret Garden or my own favourite, Watership Down).
  • Read together (especially if trying a ‘classic’) – my experience tells me that secondary school students still like being read to!
  • If she doesn’t want to read with you, set aside a time where everybody reads for 20-30 minutes.
  • Create a cosy reading space, free from other distractions. Pair some time in this space with a cup of tea and/or sweet treat. Add a dog. Make reading time a pleasure.
  • Set a reading challenge with rewards. Use a reading log or something like Goodreads to record it.
  • Start small. Try setting an easily achievable but non-negotiable target to establish a daily reading habit. For example, at bedtime, try telling your daughter that she has to read at least a page of her book. This page usually turns into a chapter and often more.
  • If she’s too tired to read before bed, set aside an earlier time and make the other stuff she wants to do dependant on doing her bit of reading first.

 

If you have any other ideas to add to this list, please leave a comment!

 

Choosing a book:

Finally, here are a couple of places to start if you're stuck on which books to pick:


Based on the above poster, I’ve selected some classic, challenging texts which are available to read for free. For each text, you’ll find some introductory information, the text itself, and a study guide to help you if you get stuck. Click INFO for a brief introduction to the text. Have a browse!

 

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred. D Taylor:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

The Pearl by John Steinbeck:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

Moonfleet by J. Meade Falkner:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

Watership Down by Richard Adams:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

Emma by Jane Austen:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome:  INFO | TEXT | ARTICLE

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

The Time Machine by H.G Wells:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

Dracula by Bram Stoker  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien:  INFO | TEXT | GUIDE



Thanks for reading!


Mr Muralee


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