How to Encourage Your Reluctant Reader to Read

When kids struggle with reading or show no interest in reading, they may be reluctant readers. There is many reasons a child may be reluctant to read. One reason may be that they just need to be coaxed to read.  There is ways that can help your reluctant child learn to love reading.  Here is just a few ways that may help your child learn to love reading.

Listen to Audio Books 

Audio books teach children to learn the attraction of words as well as the rhythm and flow of the written language.   The first step to encourage the love of reading in a reluctant reader is to encourage them to listen to audio books or even books on CD's.

Usborne Books & More has books that come with a CD so that children may listen to the story while following along with the written words on the page of the book.  By following the words spoken on the CD in the pages of the book, children become more confident in their own reading skills and will soon be able to enjoy the pleasure of reading a complete book or story on their own.

Usborne Books & More books with CD:

Bible Stories with CD

This engaging collection of Bible stories has been written, with the help of a language expert, for young children who are just starting to read. Each story is told word for word, with delightful sound effects, on the CD included with this book. By following the words across the page as they hear them, beginner readers will gain confidence and soon be able to achieve the pleasure and satisfaction of reading a whole story by themselves.

The Little Book of Train Stories with CD

This book with CD pack contains a delightful collection of short stories which have been especially written for young children who are just beginning to read. Lively narration with fun sound effects and music make the CD perfect for reading along with or just listening to.

Ted and Friends with CD

Created in consultation with a language expert, the stories have been especially written to help your child learn to read. The stories not only take into account recent research on the most effective ways of teaching reading, but are also great fun.

There's also a listen-along CD that brings the stories to life through charming readings.

This exciting edition contains twelve titles from the popular Phonics Readers series.  
Included titles:  Fat Cat on a Mat, Ted in a Red Bed, Big Pig on a Dig, Hen's Pens, Fox on a Box, Frog on a Log, Ted's Shed, Sam Sheep Can't Sleep, Shark in the Park, Toad Makes a Road, Goose on the Loose, Mouse Moves House 

The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales

A book reading memories are made of. This will be a favorite from 18 months to first grade. Dual level text - read just the top line and the story makes sense. Perfect for wiggly little ones who aren't always in the mood for long stories. Add the bottom line for more detail. Beginning readers can read the top line, and a helper can read the bottom. And there's a little yellow duck hiding on every page! 

This delightful book contains 20 of the popular Farmyard Tales stories. Young children will love Stephen Cartwright's charming illustrations of life on Apple Tree Farm, and the gently amusing stories of Mrs. Boot, the farmer, her children Poppy and Sam, and their animals, Rusty the dog, Curly the pig, and Woolly the sheep.

Assign Short Reading Assignments

When reluctant readers are asked to read 15-20 pages at one time, it can become very intimidating to them. This can cause them to choose a different book or title (one they may find to be "easier") or they will just choose to do something totally different and try to blow off reading.

Keep book reading assignments shorter.  Begin by giving a reluctant reader 5 pages and increase the number of pages as they become more confident in their reading.

Choose Super Easy Books

When a reluctant reader is asked to read a book that is too hard for them, they may become discouraged as they fight their way through a book that seems impossible to read.  By giving them books that are easier to read, they are more likely to keep reading and feel it to be less of a fight.

It is more motivating to a struggling reader when they can lose themselves in the words or enter another world through the words in the story they are reading.

Giving your child a well-written, easy to read books will encourage them to enjoy reading and they are more likely to begin reading for pleasure and pure enjoyment.

Create a Comfortable Place to Read

Create a comfortable reading nook for your child to read.  Fill it with excellent children's literature, audio books, pillows, or a comfy chair.  Ensure it has good lighting.  There is NOTHING better than a comfortable place to curl up and enjoy a good book.






Schedule Periodic Reading Days

There are days when maintaining a daily routine is out of your control. There is also days where it may just be a good idea to break routine to connect with your kids and family.  Snow days were school is cancelled and it's too cold to go outside?  Rainy Day? Home Sick? Maybe life has been busy for mom and dad or the kids have had a lot of activities that keep the family from having family time.  Toss aside the usual daily routine and spend the day reading!

Read TO your children as they sit, snack on their favorite treat and listen to you narrate their favorite stories and bring them to life. Read before naptime, bedtime, or any time!

Have family reading days (nights). Every member of the family can grab their favorite book, magazine, or even newspaper and sit down to read together! When children see you reading, they see it as something "important" and will want to copy you.

Make reading time FUN and SPECIAL.  Curl up together in a blanket on the couch, on the floor with big fluffy pillows and sleeping bags, or maybe build a blanket fort in the living room and just READ.

Encourage Reading

You can encourage a struggling reader by choosing books that are related to their interests.  Do they love Big Trucks, Big Tractors, Princesses, Farm Animals, Sports, or maybe even History or Science? Choose books that relate to those interests.   If the books relates to their interests, they are more apt to want to read it and learn MORE about their particular interest.


Make Reading a Daily Part of Life

Read street signs while out and about, read recipes or recipes books while making their favorite meals or treats, read newspapers and talk about local events, sports, etc.. While grocery shopping, create shopping lists then point out how labels on food containers match what is written down on the signs and your shopping list.




Make Reading Interactive

Ask your child what their opinions are about what they are reading. Ask them how they would handle a situation, what they might do different.  Ask them how it makes them feel.  By doing this, you are engaging them in the story.  Choose books that help them to become a part of the story and understanding more about what they are reading because they will be more focused. Choose Your Own Journey is a great book for allowing your child to choose the direction the story takes him.

Set Goals or Challenges for your Child

Challenge them to read "x" number of books over holiday breaks from school or sign them up for summer reading programs.

Engage them by challenging them to do a Summer Reading Challenge such as this one highlighted.

Have Older Children Help Younger Children

When older children help a younger child with their reading, it boosts the confidence in the older reader while providing important practice for the younger reader.

Spend at Least One Hour Per Week at the Library

Scheduling a weekly trip to the library each week will give a reluctant reader something to look forward to.  There is many options available to him, and he is sure to find a book or two or three... to catch his attention. I still remember how excited I was to go to the local library during the summer time when I was a little girl! The smell of the old building, the books, and everything about it excited me!

Set an Example

When a child sees you reading, it will encourage her to do the same.  She will see that reading is something that you do for pleasure  and that you enjoy... not just as a "homework assignment" or something you are being forced to do.

As time goes on, your reluctant reader will associate reading with being comfortable, special times, and full of wonderful stories.  They may never become an avid reader, but they will no longer be reluctant to read.  

• Want more literacy tips, news updates about Usborne Books & More promotions, giveaways, activities, and more? Join me at Discover the World in Lisa's Secret Tree House
• Shop my Online Bookstore
• View the Digital Catalog
• Are you in need of a fundraiser for a group or organization? Check out Cards for a Cause
•  Know an organization in need of books? We can work together to do a book drive! Usborne will match 50% of funds raised! Reading Is A Gift
• Need help placing an order? Fill out this FORM and I can help you!

Note that I am an Usborne Books & More Consultant and that the above article may contain links which direct you to my shopping site where you can purchase the books which I may have highlighted in this article. All purchases made through these links to my shopping site will in return will earn me a commission at no additional expense to you.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Growing up, my parents seemed to ALWAYS have vegetable gardens planted as well as multiple flower beds.  My summer days were filled with helping my parents toss rocks out of the garden after the initial plowing, going to the local nursery to pick up plants and seeds for the garden... along with everything else needed.  Then we helped them plant and tend the garden all summer long.

Honestly, I hated the actual weeding and tending of the garden due to the bugs and sweat behind my knees as I bent down weeding the garden or picking the veggies... LOL. I sure did enjoy the bounties it brought us though every summer! Fresh veggies for salads (a wilted salad was my favorite, with bacon grease drizzled over top instead of dressing), squash, okra, beans of all sorts, cucumbers for pickles, corn on the cob, and every thing imaginable! 

My parents canned everything from sauces, soups, juices, canned veggies, stews, and so much more. Our basement was loaded with foods to feed our family of 7 during the winter months.

I have tried as an adult to grow my own veggies and flower gardens... but I didn't inherited my parents green thumbs! Sure, I knew how to weed the rows and pick the veggies, but the actual scientific part of it (how much sunlight or shade, how much water, fertilization, and all the goes into a healthy garden), I didn't tend to learn.

That's where these amazing books from Usborne Books & More would have been a great resource for me!  Now that I have a few of them in my home library, I might have to study up and consider giving gardening a try once again!

Usborne Books & More had gardening books for all ages!

Wipe-Clean Garden Activities is a fun book that allows young children to develop counting, observation, and pen control skills. They follow the lines to see which flower the butterfly will land, connect the dots to finish the snails shell, and draw a line to match the vegetables.  Young children need this type of pen control skills BEFORE they can begin to learn to write.  This book encourages young children to solve mazes,  connect the dots, trace the dotted lines, using the special pen that is provided (if the pen runs dry or is lost, any dry erase pen will work), then wipe it clean, and do it all over again with this fun garden themed activity book.

Garden Sounds is the perfect book for your children ages 3 years and up.  Press the sign on the pages and your child will discover the wonderful sounds and noises found in a garden! This books contains beautiful illustrations that compliment this beautiful first picture book for young children.

Pop-up Garden is a fun book for children ages 3 years and up.  As you make your way though the garden, discover butterflies and flowers popping up inside the book with this great engineered title. Children will be delighted and fascinated by the beautiful artwork and the many, many surprises this

title has to offer.

Busy Bug Book is a fun, interactive, beautifully illustrated book for your child aged 3 years and up.  Pull back the little toy bug and place it on the track and watch it wiggle it's way through the garden.

Peek Inside the Garden is a beautiful book for children ages 3 years and up.  A Sunny garden hums, buzzes, creeps, and crawls with life! Peek inside this beautifully illustrated garden and see what can be found.

How Things Grow is a book geared toward the 4 years and up  age group.  This My First Reference Book about How Things Grow will teach your inquisitive little one how peanuts grow, where seeds come from, which flowers bloom in the spring, and much more! This book is filled with fun quizzes and puzzles to answer your littles one's questions about how things grow.

1,000 Things in Nature Your child aged 6 years and up will be able to discover a natural world full of soaring birds, towering trees, busy bugs, and cozy burrows. This book  takes you across jungles, over deserts, through the gardens and under the sea where you can discover 1000 amazing things found in nature! This book will take your child on a journey through different habitats found in the Savannah, the desert, the jungle, under the sea, and even through the mountains! They will discover beautiful illustrations of plants, natural features, and animals of these biomes. It also features "creepy-crawlies", "foods in nature", "rocks, fossils, and gems', and "feathers, eggs, and nests".

In The Wild Garden Children ages 5 and up can decorate the scenes with beautiful rub-downs in this keepsake book that would make a perfect gift from a child to their mom or grandma!  There is a card pocket on the inside back cover that contains seven rub-down sheets. Half of each spread is colored, the other half is waiting for your child to finish the masterpiece with his coloring touch and then add the rub-down details This beautiful, interactive book also teaches your child the names of the flowers in the gardens.

Butterflies and Bugs Another beautifully illustrated book ready to be decorated with beautiful rub-downs.  This book contains a card pocket on the inside front cover containing eight sheets of rub-down transfers.  Half the  spread is colored, while the other half has labeled line drawings for your child to add their artistic touch before adding the run-down transfers. This beautiful interactive books will make a perfect keepsake for Mom or Grandma.

Secrets of the Vegetable Garden is from one of Usborne Books & More's top selling series, the Shine-A-Light Series.  In this fun interactive book, your child ages 4-8 will discover that a vegetable garden grows under the sun! AND, if they look closely, between the stalks, beneath the leaves, and under the soil, they will discover that animals and plants live there! Hold the pages up to a bright light and discover what hides in and around a vegetable garden. You child will discover a small world full of surprises!  

It All Starts With A Seed In the same format as "Big Book of General Knowledge" this book will mix beautiful artsy illustrations with fascinating "Did-You-Knows" to help teach your children how their food grows in nature. Recommended for ages 6 years and up.

How Do Flowers Grow How do flowers grow in hot deserts? How do animals help spread seed? Which flower smells like rotting meat? In this book for children ages 6  years and up, you will find answers to these questions and many more about how flowers grow. "How Flowers Grow" is a book of one of Usborne Books & More's new series of books for children beginning to learn to read on their own. The easy-to-read text was specially written with the help of a reading expert.

When you open Fairy Gardens Magic Painting Book you will discover beautiful, stylish, black and white illustrations. Using the water brush included, brush water over the illustration and see the illustrations change like magic before your eyes! Like a magical rainbow, vibrant colors appear making a beautiful scene come to life! For ages 5 and up...but who are we kidding, adults will love this magic painting books just as much as the kids will!

Gardening For Beginners This book is packed full of  gardening projects for beginners.  It is recommended for children ages 8 years and up.   Clear instructions and step by step illustrations show your child exactly what to do.  There are lots of tips showing how to grow plants in pots inside and out and gardening in small spaces.  With the title, your child can be growing salad, herbs, vegetables, flowering bulbs, and much, much more! 

Book of Growing Food is part of the "Gardening for Beginners" Series but is exclusive to growing edible plants from fruits and vegetables, to mustard and cress, sprouting beans and edible flowers.  As with Gardening for Beginners everything can be grown in planters, baskets, or containers on a balcony, patio, or even a window sill.  No large garden is needed. This book is recommended for children ages 7 years and up.

I just can't end this post without sharing this fun book written by Eric Ode, one of my favorite Kane Miller Authors! That's the "More" in Usborne Books & More. 

Grandfather’s garden

is popping with peas.

It’s buzzing with blossoms

and bumbly bees.

It’s bursting with berries

and beans and potatoes

and tall, twining vines of

too many tomatoes.

Eric Ode's rollicking, rhyming garden story combined with Kent Culotta's exuberant illustrations will have readers tapping their toes (and digging their dirt, and sowing their seeds( as they count the too-many tomatoes overgrowing the garden, the building, the block...and more!

• Want more literacy tips, news updates about Usborne Books & More promotions, giveaways, activities, and more? Join me at Discover the World in Lisa's Secret Tree House
• Shop my Online Bookstore
• View the Digital Catalog
• Are you in need of a fundraiser for a group or organization? Check out Cards for a Cause
•  Know an organization in need of books? We can work together to do a book drive! Usborne will match 50% of funds raised! Reading Is A Gift
• Need help placing an order? Fill out this FORM and I can help you!

Note that I am an Usborne Books & More Consultant and that the above article may contain links which direct you to my shopping site where you can purchase the books which I may have highlighted in this article. All purchases made through these links to my shopping site will in return will earn me a commission at no additional expense to you.