I was talking to a friend recently who was frustrated that her 9 year-old didn’t like reading. She had done a lot to help him improve his fluency, which was fine, but nonetheless he didn’t like it. She wondered if she had been doing something wrong.
Not every child likes to read, not because they aren’t bright or capable or curious, but for a whole range of possible reasons. Perhaps they haven’t been exposed to a variety of stories, perhaps they haven’t found a character that speaks to them, perhaps it takes a great deal of effort to decode the words and it feels like endless work.
One of my children is dyslexic, the other isn’t. They both learned to read at their own pace, but one thing both of them always loved (and still do) was being read to. Not because it was a way of helping them improve as readers (it was) but because it was fun. For all of us. We read books that were adventurous, exciting, historical, funny, sad and everything in between. If it was boring, we put it down. Did I always feel like it at the end of a long day and the dog had been sick or somebody had nits or a meltdown? No. But more often than not we did, because we wanted to know what was going to happen next. We needed to know.
As adults we can teach vocabulary, phonics and the sounding out of syllables and so on. That’s all important, of course it is, but what’s also important is a love of story for its own sake. And that’s what I said to my friend - read aloud to your son, read with him. Take the pressure off. Read the good stuff, the fun stuff, read the books that make both of you want to turn the page. If you don’t know where to start, try your local library, many are offering curbside services, or try the kids’ picks page here, top left. Harry Potter is not the only example of a story that captivates young and old alike... there are thousands and thousands of unique, brilliant stories waiting to be read aloud, just for fun.