3 minutes
Encouraging reading is one of any teacher's most common concerns. Helping young children discover the magic of stories or getting secondary students hooked on the pleasure of a good book can seem difficult.
Today we want to share some simple ideas to awaken your students' desire to read.
Five basic tips to encourage reading
1. Create a classroom library.
This is a simple, traditional strategy that always works. Ask each child to contribute a favorite book and organize a lending system so everyone can enjoy reading in an orderly way.
Besides having a good number of books to read, they will learn to organize themselves and take responsibility for the book they choose. You can also use a reading review sheet so they can share their opinions about the books they read. We created a sheet you can download and print at this link.
We also want to share this short guide with ideas for organizing a good classroom library.
2. Check for an underlying problem.
Sometimes children dislike reading because they struggle to read or do not fully understand what they read.
Work on your students' reading skills and comprehension to rule out these barriers between them and books.
3. Give them several options.
Like adults, children do not like every book or find every topic interesting.
It is important to let them choose from the available stories or books those that catch their attention. This way, they will discover their own reading tastes.
You can also experiment with "comics," "comic strips," or "magazines," which can be a wonderful introduction to reading.
4. Dramatize the reading.
Organizing a read-aloud or a short play can change the approach to the book and turn it into a shared emotion.
You can use simple costumes matching the characters to add more personality to the performance.
You can also read them a passage from a book or story each day, progressing through the story and encouraging them to anticipate what will happen, helping them discover the world of adventures a book can hold.
5. Do not make it an obligation.
This may be one of the most important points: reading must be fun and interesting, because only then will it become a habit. Encourage students to read and persevere with a book even when it is challenging, but NEVER FORCE THEM to read or finish a book they dislike, because you will achieve the opposite of the desired effect.
Do not forget these amazing resources
How do you encourage reading among your students?
Do you know any useful resources or techniques?
Go ahead and share them with us!