The best way to help a child enjoy reading is to make it as enjoyable as possible. Increasing enjoyment means they become more proficient and fluent in reading.
Here is how to improve reading fluency and enjoyment with teens.
1. Provide real books (not “school reading books”) with a real story line. Choose award winning books, within your approval, of course. A great source of choosing “real books” is the Jim Trelease Read Aloud Handbook and the Sonlight Catalog.
2. Provide books below the child’s grade level. That will help them become successful. The books will be easier to read, so the child will become faster and then become more fluent. Soon the child will feel like a successful reader, rather than a slow reader. Success helps children love reading.
3. Provide books the child is interested in. That means letting them read about children they have something in common with. For example, and active learning will like books with active main characters (like Tom Sawyer) rather than thinking main characters (like Jane Austen’s books.)
Focus on encouraging your child to enjoy reading. After all, we are trying to get our children to love learning, and love homeschooling.
For more help, you may want to look at my college bound reading list, and see the section about reluctant readers. College Bound Reading List
