Strategies for Parents & Teachers to Encourage Positive Attitudes Toward Reading
A child's attitude toward reading may have a profound impact upon his or her overall academic progress. In one instance, a child with a positive attitude toward reading may be willing to read, enjoy reading, and become proficient at reading. In another instance, a child with a poor attitude toward reading may only read when he or she has to read, tend to avoid reading, or may even refuse to read altogether. Because reading instruction is complex and typically focuses on specific skills such as decoding and comprehension, the development of positive reading attitudes is often overlooked.
How Parents Can Promote Positive Reading Attitudes
How Parents Can Promote Positive Reading Attitudes
- Provide a variety of reading materials in the home: This can include magazines, newspapers, books, dictionaries, and other reference materials. Utilizing a tablet to read magazines, newspapers, or books can be enjoyable for children. Your child will be more likely to read for pleasure and to obtain information if there is reading material around.
- Let your child know how much you enjoy and learn from reading: Your excitement and interest in reading will transfer to your children. Just observing you read helps your child become aware of the value you place on reading.
- Read with and to your child: Both young and older children enjoy listening to stories read with and to them. Engage in joint storybook reading with younger children and older children who struggle with reading. Take turns reading a few pages. Also, consider setting aside a family reading time that is held on a regular basis. Each family member can read a portion of a book.
- Talk about reading materials with your child: Ask literal and inferential questions and have a conversation about the contents of the story. This can occur while you and your child are engaged in reading a story and also before you begin or at the completion of reading a story.
- Visit the library: Have you child select his or her own reading materials based on individual interests. Frequently, a story time is offered at a local library, which can be a particularly enjoyable activity for young children.
- Acknowledge your child when he or she reads or shares information obtained from reading: Because children want to please their parents, your recognition and positive reaction will have a significant impact upon your children's desire to read.
- Be alert to the many activities of modern society that compete for reading time: Many activities are considered more enjoyable by children, and adults alike, such as playing video games, watching TV, using computers/tablets or cell phones, and playing sports. Parents today face a significant challenge to create a home environment that supports and instills a love for reading. However, your efforts will bring children the gift of a life-long habit of reading.
- Provide a variety of high interest reading materials of various reading levels in the classroom.
- Model and demonstrate reading: Help children realize how much you value reading.
- Shape children's attitudes toward reading: Provide systematic reinforcement, such as praise, when children are engaged in reading activities.
- Spend time helping children acquire basic reading skills: This will ease the cognitive process of gaining meaning and enjoyment from reading if basic skills, such as decoding, have not been achieved at an adequate level. Increasing fluency through repeated readings of passages may help children achieve word recognition skills. This will likely facilitate their confidence, competence, and positive perceptions about themselves as readers.
- Help children realize that positive outcomes are likely if considerable effort is made toward engaging in reading activities: If children do not attribute success to their efforts, you may want to help them realize that successful outcomes are due to effort rather than external factors beyond their control.