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She is great at all subjects but reading. A great speller but she hates to read. We've tried reading together, she gets bored and tries to stare off in space or finds a reason to get up. Now when it comes to my 7 year old she can read all day long. The 10 year old sees this but doesn't try. How can I encourage her more. I ask her to ask God for help. I know I have. What do you think?

2006-10-04 15:04:40 · 13 answers · asked by Animal_lover 2 in Education & Reference Teaching

13 answers

Try reading books that she would be intrigued by. What are her intrests? Videogames? Fashion? Barbies? Sports? Cartoons? Spongebob Square Pants? Boys? Books like that will make her want to know more, and more.

2006-10-04 15:07:25 · answer #1 · answered by Addicted To Abercrombie & Fitch 2 · 1 0

First cut down on things that provide immediate gratification -- TV, music, phone. Then take the reading in steps, and set aside some of your preconceived notions about what it means to pay attention.

Step 1: Figure out what kind of literary world would interest her most. Look at her favorite TV shows and other interests carefully. Will she like fairy tales, nonfiction, stories about kids, etc.

Step 2: Find AUDIO books that include her interests. You can read to her too -- that's important for different reasons -- but for this purpose, we're cultivating a daily ritual that could take some time, and include stories that could be above her normal grade level.

Step 3: Set aside a half hour per day for her to listen to the audio books. Don't insist that she sit idle, though. She can play with toys, draw, whatever -- so long as she can hear the book. No tv, no radio, no playing with friends or siblings, no distracting conversations nearby.

Step 4: Stop the audiobook after 30 minutes (OR always before the end of the story. Create suspense. Hopefully, she'll beg to hear the rest -- but make her wait. Don't give in. This may not happen on the first occasion or even the 10th. Give it time to become a habit, and be consistent with it.

Step 5: Once you can see that she into a book and is bothered by the suspense, start giving her the book that goes with the audio. In a perfect world, she might be inclined to read along, but that's not so important. When it's time to shut off the audio, remind her that she can always read ahead -- and offer to read it with her (but help her read rather than reading to her in this case).

Again, set aside the immediate gratifiers, be consistent, and try to find plotlines that fit her personality. You may want to watch for signs that she struggles with reading (that would include a different set of steps), but from your question it sounds like a motivational issue more than anything.

2006-10-04 16:01:58 · answer #2 · answered by Unknown User 3 · 1 0

Take her to the library and let her pick out what she likes. Maybe you could charge out books on tape. Does she have a hobby? Subscribe to some magazines that relate to her hobby. Maybe she likes horseback riding, plants, coin collecting, or her dog. There are magazines on just about anything. Also, they have made some great books into movies, like Holes, Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Narnia. Maybe she could read the book, then see the movie.
I'm also wondering if she has ADHD, since she has difficulty focusing. You may want to get her tested and talk to her doctor to see what's available for her.

2006-10-04 15:13:33 · answer #3 · answered by salsera 5 · 1 0

Allow her to select books that interest her...cats, dogs, horses, Bratz, etc. She may also be overwhelmed by the "sea of words" that are on the page. Encourage her to use a bookmark (turned on its side so that it is wider than longer) under the sentence she is reading. This will make tracking as she reads easier for her, as well as focus her on reading one line at a time and perhaps take away any anxiety she might have.

If you children like to hear a story before bedtime, have them take turns reading a story aloud to you and their sibling. Hearing yourself read aloud is very important also. It helps to keep focus as well as teach children how to use inflection/tone in reading, discouraging a robot reader that reads one word at a time hesitating between each word. Reading should flow just like natural speech.


Give that a try.

2006-10-04 15:21:26 · answer #4 · answered by ImNotTheBrightestCrayonInTheBox 3 · 1 0

Have you tried non-traditional texts like books of riddles and knock-knock jokes, Mad-libs, plays, comic strips, like Garfield or Peanuts? Can you get her to read your mail or this very important newspaper article to you, while you're doing some other chore--tell her you need her help and it would be a big favor.Sometimes trying to read regular books with too much on a page after a day at school feels like too much work. And remember, they're never too old to read to. And you can try having her read to books on tape. It's hard to tell whether she is not interested in stories in general or just reading them...Will she read to her younger sibling? How about to another younger child? Or onto a tape to send to a distant relative?

2006-10-04 15:27:31 · answer #5 · answered by krispgonzalez 2 · 1 0

Actually, as much as i hat erelying on medical intervention- I would strongly recommend having her screened for reading disorders such as dyslexia- what might seem to be simple disinterest may actually be an underlying difficulty. (I speak from experience.)

If no problems are detected, try finding something that she's really interested in learning about- reading = learning! Or, try reading other media besides books- magazines, the daily newspaper, anything that might catch her interest.

If that still fails, you might just have to accept that she isn't going to be an avid reader- not everyone is or wants to be. If her lack of interest in recreational reading isn't negatively affecting how well she does in school or other areas of her life, just smile and sigh, and concentrate her on the things she does like to do. :)

2006-10-04 15:17:10 · answer #6 · answered by Robin J. Sky 4 · 1 0

Different people are different. I had the same problem with my son. It got to the point that I was afraid he had some difficulty with reading. He was fine. Just didn't like reading. He is grown now. Likes to read.

Find book on a subject she really likes. What does she like? Get her a subscription to a favorite magazine.

2006-10-04 15:15:46 · answer #7 · answered by the mazda mechanic 4 · 0 0

1. extend her bedtime by 15 minutes every night, but ONLY if she uses that time to read.
2. does she have a big sister/brother/aunt she admires? have that person read with her.
3. restrict TV/video game time
4. have her checked for dyslexia or another reading problem
5. find stories she is interested in.

2006-10-04 15:09:47 · answer #8 · answered by Becky 5 · 1 0

Get her away from the television set ...television doesn't do anything for developing minds...don't pressure her to read...give her literature that's she has in common with the characters..complement her on her own reading ability..that's usually a good motivational tool...

2006-10-04 15:11:34 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Find material that interest her. Comic books, TV guide, Dr.Suese, books, Captian Underpants. Cook books are good tools for this.

2006-10-04 15:10:52 · answer #10 · answered by LeBlanc 6 · 1 0

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