How do you help your 7yo boys love to read, w/out giving them twaddle?

[HappyGrace]

Ds just turned 7 can read at about a high second grade level. But he doesn't enjoy it much during school time, and would never read outside of school time. Absolutely NO desire. His school time is VERY light (about 1 1/2 hours of one on one time), so it's not that he's doing too much. And his reading during school time is maybe half an easy reader book, and five pages from The Beginner's Bible. This is easy for him, and we spread it out and separate the two readings by math. He does a little ETC, WWE (takes him about 7 minutes!), and some picture book readalouds for sci and history. The rest of his day is playing.

 

He'd rather play Legos and wouldn't pick up a book if it jumped in his hand!

 

He will listen fine to readalouds or books on CD, but it's so weird because older dd was born with a book in her hand and was reading at 4. It helped her spelling and everything else so much!

 

He has no learning issues; is very bright. I don't care about his reading level, etc., or pushing him. I just would love to see him ENJOY reading more. I love it myself, and would like to cultivate that love in him. I'm sure it can be done, just not sure how!

Edited February 25, 2010 by HappyGrace

[Lovedtodeath]

:bigear:

[Rosie_0801]

My brother was the same until he was about 8 or 9 and someone bought him some kiddie books on wind and solar power. I think he read them, and nothing else, over and over for about three years. I think you have to grab boys this age with non-fiction.

 

Rosie

[HappyGrace]

Maybe it's an age thing then. Because at this point he doesn't even attempt to read his beloved and dog-eared Lego catalog!

(I think that may be because of the weird words in it though-strange names of Star Wars people, Bionicles, etc.-and very hard words too)

[m0mmaBuck]

Ds just turned 7 can read at about a high second grade level. But he doesn't enjoy it much during school time, and would never read outside of school time. Absolutely NO desire. His school time is VERY light (about 1 1/2 hours of one on one time), so it's not that he's doing too much. And his reading during school time is maybe half an easy reader book, and five pages from The Beginner's Bible. This is easy for him, and we spread it out and separate the two readings by math. He does a little ETC, WWE (takes him about 7 minutes!), and some picture book readalouds for sci and history. The rest of his day is playing.

 

He'd rather play Legos and wouldn't pick up a book if it jumped in his hand!

 

He will listen fine to readalouds or books on CD, but it's so weird because older dd was born with a book in her hand and was reading at 4. It helped her spelling and everything else so much!

 

He has no learning issues; is very bright. I don't care about his reading level, etc., or pushing him. I just would love to see him ENJOY reading more. I love it myself, and would like to cultivate that love in him. I'm sure it can be done, just not sure how!

 

Sounds just like my 8 yo. I've found that he enjoys science and will read books about animals of interest (i.e. big cats, savannah and Arctic/Antarctic animals) and enjoy them. Of course I have to hand them to him and tell him to read them, but he comes out of his room spouting interesting facts from the books. He also enjoys books about the weather, space, and certain historical figures (for example King Tut, Leonidis, Cyrus, and Abraham Lincoln). He doesn't care to read fiction unless it is from one of the many Star Wars series available.

[Surlygirlie]

I would have to agree with most of the posts here. At 7, my son was like yours. I just kept checking out books from the library and leaving them around. Now at 8 (almost 9), he has really loved a lot of the non-fiction, the Who Was series (biography) and the Classic Starts that have that adventure bent (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Treasure Island).

 

I say keep trying, but give it time.

[Annabel Lee]

My oldest son was like that 2 years ago (he's almost 9 now). I had to relax my strict no-twaddle rules and change it to "Ok, so anything but comic books" for required free reading. Whether he likes it or not, 30 min. of quiet time for reading is required here. His first "love" was Magic School Bus chapter books - fun fiction that is chock full of non-fiction. Then he discovered Magic Tree House books & the accompanying Research Guides. I let him check out almost every book on the shelf at the library about his then-current topic(s) of interest. We lugged home probably 50+ books on war once, then germs, then dogs, etc.

Our library had a scavenger hunt with prizes/refreshments to go with the 39 Clues series, which we had never heard of but attended anyway. Then he checked out & read 39 Clues.

Now he's reading the Sea of Monsters, Vol. 2 in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. He keeps D'Aulaires Greek Gods & Goddesses and Aliki's Gods & Goddesses of Olympus nearby to "get to know them better". He's also reading a series about some hamster named Humphrey - my mom gave them to him. He loves the Henry Huggins & Ribsy books but we use those for read alouds at bedtime. I now see these titles that I once would have considered twaddle as something to ease them in gently with.

 

I never would have thought my son would *want* to read much of anything. I was in your shoes 2 years ago. Keep trying. It's like trying to light a fire -- if you don't keep striking that flint how do you expect sparks to appear? 30 min. per day forced "free choice reading" might be overkill for a kid who outright hates it. You don't want to make him resent it. Start out small. Visit the library often (though you could very well already be doing that), do fun read alouds, get fun audiobooks & pop them in while driving, etc. At some point he'll cross paths with something he likes (it might take awhile), and then it won't be such a chore.

[mamapjama]

Right from the beginning I set the first half hour after returning from lunch as D.E.A.R time (drop everything and read) Even my two year old (now 4) was able to sit for 1/2 hour and look through books. I took 4 dishpans and loaded them with age level books and tucked them under the couch. They pulled out their respective bucket of books and had new books to look at. I would change the books in the bucket each week or when needed. Setting the time for right after lunch seemed to be a good time as they needed a relaxing activity after running around at lunch. I also sit in the same room with them and enjoy my own book at the same time.

 

As far as my son's progression from looking at books to picking them up on his own to actually read, I looked for books that interested him. Science oriented books are his favourite. I remember buying him one of those early chapter books about Balto and he was surprised that he could read the whole thing. Not long after that he decided he wanted to reread the Magic Tree House series on his own. Though some call these twaddle, I think the content - not the grammar- was great for my son. They are short reads and he was so proud to finish two or three of them in one day. They really improved his confidence. I also continued to read to him daily. He loved Little Britches and My Side of the Mountain was definitely his favourite. Knowing that there are so many fabulous books out there was a great incentive I think. Now, at age 7, he is reading at a grade 6 level and he always has a book in his hand.

 

I would go with the others that said find his interest level. Toss a few of those books around his lego area and the coffee table and see if he picks them up.

[Dmmetler]

This may not lead to "good literature" as easily, but it does work-one of my big research projects while in grad school was on reluctant readers who were on/above grade level in reading. Almost to a 1, these kids were very, very bright, but just plain didn't read. Here's what we found.

 

 

1) They WERE reading-just not traditional, fiction books. They read magazines, comic books, baseball cards, game guides, on computer screens, and so on. However, they usually didn't bother to tell anyone they were, and often didn't see themselves as reading while they did these activities. Often they hated reading aloud with a passion.

 

2) A lot of the problem was book choice. When given appealing books about topics they were interested in, they read much more. For many boys, that meant non-fiction books that weren't focused on people. Even if a book was about a sports figure, it tended to be less interesting than a book about the actual mechanics of the sport. Cover art matters. So does size. Paperbacks got read more than the same book from the library, because the big hardbacks look like they're longer, even though it's a difference of page size and the font is smaller (note-this can be reversed for very young children who may struggle with small print and tracking). Illustrations matter. The same story, in illustrated form by itself, will be read more by reluctant readers than if it's part of a longer book (Paddington Bear, for example, is available in illustrated picture book forms as well as with multiple stories in a longer book, with identical text). A well selected book, presented by someone who could make it interesting for the child, often was successful. And reading a book with a child, where both the child and adult read the book and talk about it, also often works (although maybe not for a 7 yr old). This works best if it's not the child's teacher, so Dad or a neighbor may have a better result (and older kids are often magical in this role).

 

It is the book choice component that really bridges the "Twaddle"-and, in fact, reluctant readers often dislike the popular fiction kids' books immensely, and get turned off by them.

 

 

One specific suggestion. You mentioned your son likes Legos-is he in the Builder's or Brickmaster club? Both of these send a regular magazine, and while it's not the best literature, it is words in a row, about a topic that he's interested in.

[Jennefer@SSA]

Right from the beginning I set the first half hour after returning from lunch as D.E.A.R time (drop everything and read) Even my two year old (now 4) was able to sit for 1/2 hour and look through books. I took 4 dishpans and loaded them with age level books and tucked them under the couch. They pulled out their respective bucket of books and had new books to look at. I would change the books in the bucket each week or when needed. Setting the time for right after lunch seemed to be a good time as they needed a relaxing activity after running around at lunch. I also sit in the same room with them and enjoy my own book at the same time.

 

What a great idea! I used DEAR time when I taught ps but it has never crossed my mind to incorporate it into our homeschool day. :) Now that I have 2 readers I think we will start this immediately.

 

This also reminded me of something I did for DEAR time to motivate my kids to read that you could easily adapt for a home setting. One year I had a second grade class full of reluctant readers and I needed them to fall in love with reading. To that end, I drew an enormous ice cream cone with several scoops on top. I divided it into a few hundred little squares. Each time one of my students would finish a book during DEAR time they would come tell me one or two sentences about the book and then they could color in one square on the ice cream cone. When the class filled the whole thing in we had an ice cream party on my dime!

 

It was so much fun and really got them reading like crazy. You could do it with anything for your ds. If Legos is his thing print a lego picture off line and divide it up. He can color in a square for each book and when the picture is complete he gets to buy that lego toy.

 

I feel like having kids fall in love with reading is so critical that I don't mind the bribery. :D I am not big on bribing my kids to do things they should be doing (like chores and obedience and such) but I want them to see school as fun and to love learning. If they don't love reading it's hard to get them to love learning since reading is tied to just about everything they do.

 

Also, the first books my ds fell in love with and read independently were the Roald Dahl books. A little on the strange side for my taste but ds just loved, loved, loved them! :)

[JudoMom]

My guys can stay up later as long as they are reading (or looking at books, if they can't read yet).

 

Sometimes you just have to wait, too. My ds7 was thrilled with Flat Stanley this past fall. They are the first chapter books that he'd read on his own, so I went with it. He's now reading the Hobbit (his choice).

[Karie]

Some kids just don't like to read. In fact, I don't like to read that much. My husband always has a book in his hand. That said, I have 2 obys, 8 and 10, and neither one of them like to read. The only time I get them to read is during quiet time, and then I require it. I told my older son he could stay up and read for an extra 30 minutes, and he opted to go to bed :glare:.

 

Some consider this twaddle, but both of my kids willingly read the Magic Tree House series. They kept wanting the next book, and the next, and so on. Sometimes, you have to just let them read what they want for a little while so they can become a better reader.

 

My kids are both good readers with no learning issues. I'm hoping that one of these days, they'll start to love reading and want to read whenever they are bored, but for now, it is an assigned subject in our house.

[Poke Salad Annie]

I agree with tossing a few books around the house to see if he picks them up. I do that as well, and it has absolutely made a difference in sparking interest. Another thing I do is take him to the library and show him several good authors or selections, then let him choose. I have to admit though, that right now he's into Hank the Cowdog books. Even though that's probably considered twaddle, the vocabulary is pretty extensive for a little guy. The stories are pretty wacky too! I'd think they're great for boys.

[Caribbean Queen]

Zoobooks magazines made my son want to read. He loves to get them in the mail.

http://www.zoobooks.com/

 

They are educational, not twaddly. There are no ads. The pictures are beautiful. A few magazines have evolutionary content, but most do not. I am not sure what grade level they are written on, but I know it is higher than second grade.

[Stacy in NJ]

stage is Daniel Pinkwater. Our all time favorite is The Hokoken Chicken Emergency. Really funny and imaginative but wholesome.

 

Here's a link:

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=daniel+pinkwater&sprefix=daniel+pinkwa

[Heather in WI]

I think the biggest influence in instilling a love for reading in my oldest boys (7 and 9) is *requiring* silent reading time as a part of their school ~a la The Well-Trained Mind.

 

In first grade, my boys spend 30 minutes silent reading for history and 30 minutes silent reading for literature. In second grade, this is bumped up to 30 min. history reading, 30-45 min. literature reading. In third grade, 30 min. history reading, 45 min. literature reading. And, in fourth grade, 30 min. history reading, 60 minutes of literature reading.

 

History reading is first thing in the morning. Literature reading is last thing of the day. Every day. Overwhelmingly, these are books that I pick, not books that they pick on their own, although once in awhile I let them pick the book if they show great interest in something.

 

For the books I pick, I never assign twaddle, but they are allowed to pick one "junk book" (as we call it) a week from the library to read on their own time. We talk about how junk books are fun and like brain candy ... just like we'd be unhealthy if we only ate candy every day, it's not good for our brains if we only read junk books every day. (Junk books are anything like Star Wars, graphic novels, Magic Treehouse, Hank the Cowdog, etc.) But, of course, it's nice to have candy once in awhile. :-D

 

This has led to a great love of reading at our house.

 

My 7 year old has recently devoured: Crispin by Avi, The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Patterson, Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore, and Five Children and It by E. Nesbit along with a ton of non-fiction books.

 

I would recommend starting small if you haven't had required reading time. Start with 15 minutes of required non-fiction and 15 minutes of required fiction a day. I wouldn't allow "twaddle", but, to start, I would go down a reading level so that it's fun and not too difficult. I find the books that Susan Wise Bauer chose to excerpt from for the Writing With Ease workbooks to have been huge hits at our house, if you need ideas. Then, slowly, work your way up in required reading time and reading level.

[Ellie]

Let him play Legos. Read aloud to him from the good books you think he'd enjoy.

[EKS]

Reading at his interest level is likely still too difficult for him. Books written on a 2nd grade level aren't overly compelling. Just keep on with the reading instruction and have him read aloud to you from increasingly more difficult material and his interest in reading on his own will come when what is interesting is easy for him to read. And keep reading aloud to him from books that he likes.

[Karen in CO]

My ds read Captain Underpants and Goosebumps until he got past the early chapter book phase. Now, at 19, he is working his way through Great Books for his personal reading. I kept reading challenging books to him until he was able to read interesting books on his own. We also did buddy-reading for school books so that I could model fluency and listen to him.

 

I really try to not think of the quality of early readers and especially early chapter books. I just give them things to read that they enjoy that will get them past that. My dd read Magic Tree House and Judy Moody during the same phase - she's almost done with Little Women as her free choice reading she read the Roman Mysteries, Peter Pan and tons of nonfiction.

[Jennefer@SSA]

I think the biggest influence in instilling a love for reading in my oldest boys (7 and 9) is *requiring* silent reading time as a part of their school ~a la The Well-Trained Mind.

 

In first grade, my boys spend 30 minutes silent reading for history and 30 minutes silent reading for literature. In second grade, this is bumped up to 30 min. history reading, 30-45 min. literature reading. In third grade, 30 min. history reading, 45 min. literature reading. And, in fourth grade, 30 min. history reading, 60 minutes of literature reading.

 

History reading is first thing in the morning. Literature reading is last thing of the day. Every day. Overwhelmingly, these are books that I pick, not books that they pick on their own, although once in awhile I let them pick the book if they show great interest in something.

 

For the books I pick, I never assign twaddle, but they are allowed to pick one "junk book" (as we call it) a week from the library to read on their own time. We talk about how junk books are fun and like brain candy ... just like we'd be unhealthy if we only ate candy every day, it's not good for our brains if we only read junk books every day. (Junk books are anything like Star Wars, graphic novels, Magic Treehouse, Hank the Cowdog, etc.) But, of course, it's nice to have candy once in awhile. :-D

 

This has led to a great love of reading at our house.

 

My 7 year old has recently devoured: Crispin by Avi, The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Patterson, Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore, and Five Children and It by E. Nesbit along with a ton of non-fiction books.

 

I would recommend starting small if you haven't had required reading time. Start with 15 minutes of required non-fiction and 15 minutes of required fiction a day. I wouldn't allow "twaddle", but, to start, I would go down a reading level so that it's fun and not too difficult. I find the books that Susan Wise Bauer chose to excerpt from for the Writing With Ease workbooks to have been huge hits at our house, if you need ideas. Then, slowly, work your way up in required reading time and reading level.

 

Great post. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

[keptwoman]

My ds read Captain Underpants and Goosebumps until he got past the early chapter book phase. Now, at 19, he is working his way through Great Books for his personal reading. I kept reading challenging books to him until he was able to read interesting books on his own. We also did buddy-reading for school books so that I could model fluency and listen to him.

 

I really try to not think of the quality of early readers and especially early chapter books. I just give them things to read that they enjoy that will get them past that. My dd read Magic Tree House and Judy Moody during the same phase - she's almost done with Little Women as her free choice reading she read the Roman Mysteries, Peter Pan and tons of nonfiction.

This is exactly how it worked in our house. When they are young, I don't care what the quality of the reading matter is like as long as they are reading plenty. When they enjoy it, and will willingly spend time doing it, then you can start to guide their reading choices.

Both my boys still read some twaddle, but they will happily read what I assign them too.

[m0mmaBuck]

I am happy to get DS to read anything whatsoever. He doesn't enjoy the Magic Treehouse series or anything with talking animals (i.e. Geronimo Stilton). I let him read twaddle (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants, The Day My Butt Went Psycho, Star Wars Boba Fett series) during his free time. He also enjoys classic adventure stories. Currently he is reading a children's version of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. He's also enjoyed similar versions of Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, and Robinson Crusoe. Finally, non-fiction about something that interests him (big cats, African animals, space, Nascar) has been good.

[OlgaLA]

My daughter was a reluctant reader until her reading ability caught up with her interests. She just never liked books written at the 2-3 grade level or easier. We did read-alouds together of the books above her level where she read a page and we read 2-3 pages. Now at almost 8 she is reading at 6 gr level and loves doing it.

[Marie in Oh]

My son was exactly like this. He never wanted to read on his own free time. We did Magic Tree House some and those Great Illustrated Classics and the intermediate Sonlight Readers. I just had him read a chapter to me every day.

 

Some may disagree, but my thoughts on this is that even though they are reading fluently, it is still alot of work for a little boy to hold concentration that long. That's why they hate it.

 

Believe me, it isn't a sign of anything to come. By the time my son was nine, he was reading all the time. He is 12 now, and since January, he has read 53 books-- not all easy books by any means-- Two of the Lord of the Rings, Eragon, Eldest, and Brisinger, and of course- all 6 of the Percy Jackson books. He is also reading what I would consider literature for school (he just finished The Call of the Wild, and before that, he read the Jungle Book). He will start Across Five Aprils today.

 

So, there is hope. Don't give up. He will begin to enjoy reading if it is modeled to him that books are important, if his environment is filled with good books, and his mom is patient with him during this stage. ;)

[keptwoman]

I am happy to get DS to read anything whatsoever. He doesn't enjoy the Magic Treehouse series or anything with talking animals (i.e. Geronimo Stilton). I let him read twaddle (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants, The Day My Butt Went Psycho, Star Wars Boba Fett series) during his free time. He also enjoys classic adventure stories. Currently he is reading a children's version of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. He's also enjoyed similar versions of Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, and Robinson Crusoe. Finally, non-fiction about something that interests him (big cats, African animals, space, Nascar) has been good.

That's so funny, it's The Day My Bum Went Psycho here. Funny how they changed it for you guys. Not an Andy Griffiths fan myself, but we endured a few years of him before I could safely ban him from the house.

[meet me in paris]

We always go through a twaddle phase at that age. It lasts about a year, but they do snap out of it! I say, "twaddle away!". If they can't choose their material for their own "fun" reading time, they will learn to resent reading, which is not what you want.

 

Non-fiction is helpful, too. Books about sharks, or soccer, or whatever they like might be the key. My daughter checked out nothing but animal books from the library her entire first grade year. ;)

[Guest HolidayMomma]

Now I know I can't be the only one who watches an ocassional episode of Suppernanny on the TLC channel. Because I must say--she has a million different methods that would help us parents to do just about ANYTHING.

 

If you need your darling, energetic, playful 7 year old boy to start enjoying reading, you should consider setting up rewards systems. Give him rewards for spending "x" amount of time a day reading. Let it be something he enjoys, that is not a tangible gift. Like, if he reads for an hour each day, he will rack up more play time, or cartoon time, or computer game time.

 

Also, let him pick out his own "leaisure reading books" from a pile of books that you've pre-approved. It will make him feel like he had a choice in the matter, and kids love the ability to make decisions for themselves (once in a while).

[Tree House Academy]

My ds6 has been curling up with a different MTH book every night at bedtime. I could care less, as long as he is reading. His current love is dinosaurs and he will read all he can get his hands on about dinosaurs.

 

Now, I have a question for you that you don't have to answer...but I am curious. Why do you have a child who can read at high school level reading "Easy Readers" during school time? My little fella is a really advanced reader too (though I wouldn't say high school level...more 5th or 6th grade, I guess) and I have him read stuff to me from chapter books during school time - harder stuff than I trust him to read on his own because I know I am there to explain words or help him sound out something he may run into that he doesn't know. I guess I am just wondering why you are making it so easy for him. Perhaps, if he read at his level during school time, he would find the subject matter much more appealing? Just an idea...maybe?

 

ETA: I am taken back by hearing so many talk about little boys not liking to read at that age. My older son didn't - but he was in ps and their "system" was read AS MANY books as you can in X period of time. He was reading little books with 20 pages just to keep his count up. It wasn't until we started homeschooling and he found the Charlie Bone series that my ds11 (then about 9) became a true "reader." My younger ds, though, at the age of 6, has been begging me for "reading time" at night for as long as I can remember. I finally gave in recently and the kid will read a MTH book cover to cover before going to bed...all in one sitting. I know MTH books are short and easy, but all in one sitting at the age of 6 (impressive to me concentration-wise, I mean...not reading skill-wise)? Good grief! LOL I think a lot depends on the kid - some kids just have that natural love of reading and others have to be nurtured into it. I think seeing mom and dad read a lot makes a child more likely to read for fun too. I almost always have a book in my hand and so does dh. When we go on trips in the car, usually I drive while dh reads to me or we listen to a book on tape. It is kind of nutty how much we love our books around here.

Edited September 25, 2010 by Tree House Academy

[peacefully]

.

[Haiku]

The only thing my son wants to read is the Moongobble and Me series.

 

Repeatedly.

 

I tried to get him reading other, more highbrow types of things, and he either sat staring at one page for half an hour, or he turned the pages at lightning speed an announced, after 90 seconds, that he had read the book. :glare:

 

So I let him read Moongobble and Me. Repeatedly. We also read Moongobble and Me for his read-aloud-to-me time.

 

He is tentatively branching out now ... to the Beast Quest series. *sigh*

 

I am not a fan of twaddle and I am fairly strict about what my dd8 is allowed to read, but then again, she loves to read and does not shy away from good-quality books. I am far more relaxed about what ds reads, because if I'm not, he won't read at all.

 

I am not advocating the "any reading is better than no reading" philosophy. There are certain things I will not allow my kids to read. But if Moongobble and Me is what it takes to get my son actually reading, well, so be it. I make sure he listens to lots of high-quality things on cd.

 

(Ok, and I must admit that our current read-aloud is Fablehaven, which is not exactly classic literature. ;) )

 

Tara

[johnandtinagilbert]

I agree about the non-fiction and we do read alouds of great boy stories (Like Farmer Boy) as our reading practice for the day...they read aloud to me! Worked great.

 

FWIW, I had one boy who didn't enjoy personal reading until 5th grade...and even now, he's not a bookworm, but is happy to read what he enjoys from time to time.

[HappyGrace]

This is an OLLLLLLD thread! :) Ds is doing much better now, thanks! And we have not resorted to twaddle-have found other ways around it, thankfully.

[Hedgehogs4]

my first response to your post was...sounds like a boy!

 

my ds LOVES to read nonfiction. drags his feet with fiction. read an entire book on electrical circuits this summer then proceeded to wire his little sister's dollhouse with lights, alarm system and doorbell. i think it's important to realize that boys sometimes have different goals in mind. they need to conquer, whereas girls can read to be fanciful and feed the imagination. many boys (not all of course) are more interested in getting somewhere so that they can do something, so you might try giving him books that feed an interest of his or biographies of people to whom he can relate. we started reading the Ralph Moody "Little Britches" biographies when my ds was nearly 8 and we have LOVED them as a family--he could relate to Ralph. He also really enjoyed Carry on Mr. Bowditch because it was a real person that challenged him. he likes to be challenged, he likes information that is useful to him. maybe your son is similar. it's worth a try.