The Booking Through Thursday question for this week is one I submitted how to encourage non-reading older children to read.
Reading was one of our favorite activities when the kids were little. We read all through the day, every night before bedtime, took regular trips to the library, signed up for reading programs with fun prizes, end-of-summer parties, etc. They all loved to read as young children. Or maybe I should say they loved being read to. Only one grew up to read regularly, though. Beyond the star-on-a-chart types of encouragement, they didn’t seem open to suggestions about books they might like. One regularly responded to any suggestions about reading with, “I’m just not a reading kind of guy, Mom.” Which of course broke this book-loving mom’s heart.
Some years ago I read Ben Carson’s autobiography, Gifted Hands. One of the major factors in his life was that his mother required Ben and his brother to read a certain amount every day beyond classroom requirements. I’ve toyed with making reading a requirement in the hopes that it would “grab” them, but feared it would backfire, human nature being what it is, and make them resent a book that they might otherwise like.
Most suggestions for creating readers include:
Parents actively reading. √
Read to them as children. √
Take them to the library. √
Keep interesting reading material on their level. √
Read aloud to them. I did this for years but fell away as they got older and busier. I wish I’d kept it up.
What does it matter whether they read or not? Well, I just hate for them to miss out on all that can be gained by reading — enrichment, learning, broadening horizons, useful ways of passing time, even spiritual growth. My friend Janet came up with 25 great reasons to read, one of my favorites being that God relates to us through words; Jesus Himself is called the Word.
I have one teen-ager left at home. How would you encourage an older child, teen, or young adult to read?
Stray Thoughts 
Oh dear. My answer is probably going to make people really mad.
I don’t think there is a problem with mandatory reading. Kids can watch tv and play video games for hours on end. So why not reading?
Here is mine
Great post. I think the problem with older children and teens is they are just burnt out with school and homework. They read the classics that they usually hate, and they are always forced to read things that are downright tearfully boring. When they are finished with homework, the last thing most want to do is read more. My son is in college now, and he complains there’s just no time to read for pleasure anymore. When he comes home from break, he just vegges for a couple days, then will actually sit down and read for pleasure.
I had to deal with this with my oldest child.
Here’s my response.
Maybe use a Kindle my friend. 🙂 That might work or the upcoming iPad 🙂
I think “parents actively reading” and reading aloud to your kids are probably two of the most important things in the process. I know that had a great influence on me when I was a child.
This was such a great topic! My thoughts are here.
I hear you on the suggested reading backfiring. My mom tried pushing classics on me and I resisted each and every single one. However, one thing she did do was make it a treat to go to Half-Price Books. She’d give my brother and I each $2 to pick out our book of choice (which, 10 years ago, actually bought a used book!). Her $2 a pop trips allowed me the freedom to make my own choice and I was excited to pick out whatever I wanted. That is, coincidentally, how I ended up owning the entire Trixie Belden series. =)
I read anything I wanted – so long as I got to pick it out myself – and it was a reward and a treat!
Such a good question. I’ll feel terrible if my kids grow up not to love reading.
Sometimes, I wonder if I’m a terrible “advertisement” myself. They love being read to, but I wonder what they think of the reading I do by myself. I’m not exactly accessible with my nose in a book. (I think the computer is more isolating than a book, though.)
Thanks for the link, and for the great subject, Barbara.
Hi Barbara, love your answer to this week’s question. If I have my own children, I would definitely cultivate reading habit early in their lives and read aloud to them. I always dream about doing that. 🙂