Reading Seeds
20 Ways to Keep Your Middle Schooler Interested in Reading
Sports, screens, sleepovers: The life of a middle schooler is busy and frenetic.
During this charged transition between the preteen and teenage years, it might seem like getting your kids to do their homework is enough. But the truth is, a reading routine remains as essential now to your child’s schedule — and growth — as it was in elementary (kindergarten) school. At this age, your child is reading for knowledge, further exploring their interests, and discovering their subject strengths. Below I’ve listed 20 ways to keep your middle schooler interested in reading.
1. Let your child choose their reading material. You may see them gravitate toward nonfiction, science fiction and fantasy, or humour. Whatever it is, be sure to provide ready access!
2. Subscribe to magazines that will interest them. Ask your child to choose one or two titles and put the subscription in their name to make it extra-special when an issue arrives. You can also visit a local library and explore their magazine collection.
3. Read the news together. Establish a routine for reviewing current events around the world. Ask your child how they feel about the headlines and encourage them to form opinions.
4. Keep up with what they’re reading. If you can, read a few pages of their books yourself so you can discuss them together. If your child is a strong or advanced independent reader, this also allows you to judge material for age-appropriateness.
5. Talk about what they’re reading. Asking your child what they like about their books compels them to make connections and think critically. Summarising and sequencing events will challenge their reading comprehension (which is a significant component of standardised testing).
6. If they’re struggling or bored with a book, let them put it down. Reading is meant to be fun, and the more kids enjoy their books, the more likely they are to keep reading. Achieving reading frequency takes practice, and that means trying different titles until that just-right book is found.
7. Ensure they have a good reading space. Let them choose the nook, and make sure it's well-lit and inviting. If you find your child is enjoying their reading space past bedtime, be flexible. Avoid asking your child to stop reading.
8. Play games that utilise reading. If you have a family game night, try incorporating word- and vocabulary-based games, like Scrabble or Boggle. Completing crosswords in the morning is another opportunity for learning new words and practicing spelling.
9. Encourage your middle schooler to read to a younger sibling. Letting your older child take over the nightly reading ritual once a week will ensure they read something. They may find their younger sibling's enthusiasm for stories contagious.
10. Visit the bookstore or library together. Make discovering new books a regular event where you get to share quality one-on-one time.
11. Encourage journaling. Journaling is a skill-building activity that allows your child to record observations, ambitions, problems, and solutions. Writing about their books further allows them to explore their interests, not to mention refine their book-reviewing techniques for class and build their social-emotional skills.
12. Explore books based on popular media. Your child may not know that the on-screen adventures of their favourite superhero continue in books. For example, check out The Bad Guys series and watch the movie! Literary extensions of multimedia franchises offer an entry point for reluctant readers drawn to movies and TV series.
13. Provide access to audiobooks. Books on tape are an easy way to connect your child with the rhythms and pace of a story — and they’re surprisingly successful among this age group. Whether you’re heading on vacation or just back-and-forth to school, try listening to a book that appeals to everyone. Equip your child’s mobile device with an audiobook platform as well, so they can listen on their own time.
14. Model reading. From birth, your child is modelling. Your pre-teen will follow your reading habits (though they’ll never let you know it!). Let them see you reading, strike up a dialogue about what you’re reading, and share interesting passages with them.
15. Allow and encourage kids to re-read their favourite books. Parents may be discouraged to see their child reading the same book over and over. In reality, they are reading for pleasure and likely picking up on new words and contexts with each read.
16. Leave reading material in the car. Pack a bag with books, magazines — whatever your child likes to read — for quick grab-and-read opportunities. Parents have told Scholastic in interviews that their child’s favourite time to read is in the car on the way to sports practice.
17. Start a book club. Choose a title the whole family can read together, or help your child organize a regular meetup with friends to discuss a selection in person, virtually, or via text message.
18. Take reading outside. Enjoying books literally outside of the everyday routine shows kids books are there to be enjoyed and can provide an escape. They can listen to audiobooks while hiking, or find a peaceful park to read in.
19. Try out multiple formats of a book. Many popular book series, like Wings of Fire, have been adapted as chapter books and graphic novels, and others have corresponding audiobooks and e-books. A book’s format can have a major effect on the overall reading experience: The illustrations and simple text of graphic novels, for example, are especially popular with reluctant readers who can comprehend context more quickly. Trying different formats also lets young readers experiment with different reading styles (e.g., digital vs. print), to determine what they’re most comfortable with.
20. Meet an author. To bring life to the reading experience, help your child seek out local events with their favourite writers. If you can’t meet an author in person, check out their official website, listen to interviews they’ve done, or watch book trailers for their books. Meeting an author and hearing what inspires them can inspire readers to seek out related titles.
Creating a literacy-rich home gives your child every opportunity to engage in reading, writing, speaking and listening. This kind of environment encourages your child to see these skills as an important and normal part of every day. Here are some tips to create a literate home:
• Books. Lots of books. With lots of books your child will see reading as a normal activity and will always have something new to read. Read a diverse range of genres to your child / children from birth to Year 6 every day for at least 15 minutes.
• Create a language-rich bedroom and home for your child, with alphabet and word posters, and labels.
• Organise a bookshelf to display your child’s books.
• Create a comfortable space for your child to read, perhaps with cushions and blankets, to encourage your child to see reading as a relaxing and fun activity.
• Provide writing materials and a writing desk. Having different pens and pencils, and a place to write, encourages your child to write more often. Creating a special ‘writing box’ to store your child’s pens and pencils helps your child see writing as an important activity.
• Collect props for imaginative play, and materials for craft projects. These can form the basis for practising speaking and writing.
• Set aside a time each week for ‘family reading time’ when every family member is reading, either individually or together.
• Regularly discuss what your child is reading or writing.
• Very importantly, read yourself. One of the most important ways to get your child reading is to model reading for your child. Children are encouraged to read – and to see reading as a normal part of the day – if they see their parents reading often. Siblings, grandparents, and other relevant persons in a child’s life can also be reading role models.
Maureen Delane
Learning Specialist