Ways to Motivate Young Readers
1. Read every day and pick a regular time to read. By doing so, you demonstrate that reading time is important.
2. Read the book silently before you read it aloud to your child. Reading aloud is like performing. You'll do a better job if you are familiar with what you are reading.
3. Read books you like. Enthusiasm goes a long way. If you like the book, chances are that your child will also enjoy the book. Start by reading books you enjoyed as a child.
4. Leave them wanting more. Stop your days reading at a point where your children are eager to hear what comes next.
5. Switch places. Let your child read to you and you read to your child the next day.
6. Read articles from magazines, newspapers and other text that you typically read as an adult aloud. This helps your child to see reading as a lifelong activity.
7. Read for information and for fun. Ask your child questions, point out new vocabulary and ideas, explore characters' motivations and relate them to your family life.
8. If your child struggles with a word or two in the middle of a sentence, have them go back and reread the whole sentence (or read it aloud to them). Otherwise, they will probably lose the meaning of that portion of the story, or the whole book.
9. Reread the same book several times. You can even read it back-to-back if you both feel like it. Do not worry if it seems like your child is memorizing the book instead of reading it. Memorization is a typical first step in reading. Seeing patterns and understanding how books work are important precursors to reading.
10. Take over reading if your child is getting frustrated. Finish reading the book aloud to show much fun reading a book can be.