Read Early to avoid Reluctant Readers

There is a prevalent theory in education that says one of the reasons children become reluctant readers as they grow older is that they might not have had fulfilling reading experiences as young kids.

When a parent reads to his or her child, and points out/names the elements in an illustration, the child begins associating words and images with each other. That’s essentially building a mental “bank” of images that the child will later access when when readings books without pictures.

When that bank of images isn’t there, it becomes increasingly difficult and boring for a kid to read. They can’t conjure up scenarios or characters in their heads because they never fully connected words to images. To them, words are flat, one-dimensional things.

If that’s not a reason to start reading to your kids when they’re young, I don’t know what is! Reading might seem like just something “nice” to do with your kids, but it’s actually a really integral part of the learning journey.

It's worth noting that this is just a working theory, and there are many factors that can lead a child to become a reluctant reader.

Do you have a reluctant reader at home? What are some of the strategies you encourage him or her to read?

Start your kids off with some great titles from our store page!

Scholastic's tips on adding reading to every day life.

1 comment

  • I must admit i have reluctant readers at home. I tried reading books to them when my sons were below 5 years old, but wasn’t really consistent due to the workload i had back then.
    I’m trying to get them to be more interested in books about Prophets (lost the battle for academic books long time ago) – they are more interested in comic books at the moment. Trying to see if the great battles of Islamic history, such as Uhud, Badr and Khandaq can appeal to these boys.
    But, I do think the concept of association between words and images can get kids to be more interested in books :)

    Shigim Yusof

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