“ Additional ways to entice reluctant readers include text types not often considered literary but which provide that avenue for ‘ dormant ’ readers .”
• Rule out any vision issues or learning disabilities . 27
• Try pairing reading with play like creating a scavenger hunt that requires reading the clues . 28
• Opt for shorter books . 29
• Encourage book sharing with friends or in book clubs . 30
• Take turns reading to each other . 31
• Make time for reading . 32
Once your reluctant or dormant reader begins reading , you may sometimes see a lull in their interest . I ’ ve noticed this with some of the older boys who ’ ve entered their teens . In How to Raise a Reader ( Paul & Russo , 2019 ), the authors advise : “ If your teenager was a reader as a child but is suddenly showing no interest in reading , our best advice is simply to be patient . Respect where he is right now . . . continue to seek out books you think he may like and bring them to him or leave them in his room . But try to remain absolutely unattached to the idea of whether he is reading them . . . Remember that he still lives in a bookfilled home , with parents who are readers , and that his history of reading , the books he grew up on , the culture of reading he was exposed to – all of those are indelible parts of that story . None of that ever goes away . 33
There are so many ways one can spur interest in reading with a reluctant or dormant reader . Try one or all - just try . •
27 Reluctant Readers , Reading Eggs , October 19 , 2021 , < https :// www . readingeggs . com > 28-32 Ibid . 33 How to Raise a Reader : Fostering a Lifelong Love of Books , from Birth to Teens by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo , Workman Publishing , New York , 2019
Gretchen King , Lower School Librarian at Saint David ’ s School , attended the World Library and Information Congress 2023 in Rotterdam .
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