Encouraging my 7 year old to read

[Robin7]

My name is Robin, I'm a mother of 2 children. I have a 7 year old son and a 2 year old daughter. My son is in 1st grade and the teacher wants me to have him read at night. I try but he would prefer me to read to him. I try to encourage him to read. Sometimes, I will read a book and then have him read a small book. Is there anything else that I can do to help him with his reading?

[mamazee]

Welcome to Mothering!!

My best suggestions would be to try to find books in subjects that fascinate him, and to consider starting with grahic novels as a kind of "gateway drug" to the reading world. I wonder too if you read back and forth a bit, like you read one page, and he reads the next? 

But, I think you will get many more responses if you post about this in our The Childhood Years forum, as it gets more traffic. http://www.mothering.com/community/f/65/the-childhood-years 

I would keep reading to him as well as it helps promote literacy. Also, do you like to read? If he sees you read, that will encourage him. Maybe some family trips tot he library to find fun books about something he likes? Non-fiction might be a good place to look if he hasn't been that interested in reading stories. He might like to read about a sport he is interested in, or outer space, or some animal, or whatever.

[Robin7]

I do read a lot on my Nook. I have some books on there for him as well. I try to help him with his reading as much as possible. I also go to school and have another child so I am wondering if I should devote just an hour to him. My kids want only me, not my husband so it makes it challenging some times. If you have any other advice, please feel free to let me know. Thanks!! 
 

[silversparrow]

There is great program starting up at some libraries where kids read to dogs! Because dogs are loving and will not correct or criticize, it helps kids to be relaxed and enjoy reading, and it builds their confidence. If you don't have a program like his around, consider trying it with your pets, if you have any, or a friend's if you don't.

Also, maybe start with books that are a bit below his level so that they are easy and build his confidence. Praise him for it and then see if he can enjoy the challenge of something a bit harder. He might also enjoy reading to his little sister, to show her how good he is at it.

Another thought I just had, is that bedtime might not be the best. he probably wants you to read because he's tired and it relaxes him and helps get ready to sleep. Maybe try to find a time of day when he is more alert. He might also be sick of working his brain all day at school, so maybe the weekends would be a better time...

just some ideas, hope it helps!

[Robin7]

Thanks so much! I will try some of them and let you know how it helps. Thanks again!
 

[lmk1]

You should post in the Education forums, too.  If your son is like many boys that age, maybe he would like Captain Underpants and similar type books?  Before bed, ds and I read together, like he reads the chapter titles, and I read the actual chapters.  Or he gets the first paragraph, or whatever.  It all depends on the book (his interest in it and his ability to read the font).  We also read a lot during the day (homeschooling), so I don't consider evenings our primary reading practice - that's more about reading books that are beyond his reading ability, but with a great story, because a lot of "literature" for early readers isn't very well written (imo) and doesn't captivate the kid's imagination.  My son really likes all the "somewhat" scary books (nothing nightmare provoking, though!)., mad scientist, ghost, monsters, aliens type books.  But definitely, it all depends on what your son likes, and even if you get a book that's above his reading ability, that doesn't mean that he can't help you read it (even just the last word in each sentence).  

[OceansEve]

I have set up a reward system for my daughter. If she reads a book every weekday for the entire month she gets to go to the store and pick out anything she wants (well, anything within reason). I have a calender on her wall, we write the book she read and she puts a sticker on that day. HTH

[Robin7]

Thank you for your feedback. I will try some of these things to see what works with my son.
 

[short mom]

Have you tried reading things instead of books. My daughter gets overwhelmed with a book but loves reading signs, food labels, and other everyday things. It reinforces that reading gives us power to understand our world. We recently got a tablet and scholastic has a thing called Storia which makes the online books interactive. The first couple are free so you can try it out. Find what interest him most and gather materials about that subject. My older son loves science journals but my daughter is more interested in cake decorating so we get craft books.

[Robin7]

I will definitely try some of those things. He loves Ninjago or Power rangers. I could probably do some kind of scrapbook for him and have him help me do that. I can have him cut out words and glue them on the scrapbook page. This doesn't have anything to do with my kids but I lost my job a few weeks ago. Does anyone know of a legit place to go where I can work from home and do online stuff. I would actually like a normal paycheck every 2 weeks to work from home. Thanks!