How to encourage dd to move on to grade-level books?

[miracleone]

My almost 10 year old dd loves to read but she is only comfortable reading books that are below her grade level. I know she can read thicker or more challenging books but she tells me that she has not found anything she really liked yet. She likes fantasy, action type stories. She used to read a lot of Nancy Drew but that has stopped for quite some time. She has read several Roald Dahl books in the past too. She wanted The Lightning Thief so I got it for her but it's been on the shelf for more than 6 months unread. There are many books untouched just because the print were smaller than the 2nd grade readers. She is re-reading some of her second and third grade readers. Then she is checking out fairy books and big print books that are less than 200 pages. It seemed that she just want to read books she can finish in either one sitting or one day. I understand that we all need to have a break from serious readings and just read for fun but this has been going on too long. Most of her friends are already reading 400 page novels. Can I get some advice on how I can encourage her to challenge herself and move a step or two up her current choice of books? Thank you.

[boscopup]

Have you had her vision checked?

[Tanikit]

I would possibly try a longer book in large print and see if that influences anything - as the other poster said - it may be a vision issue. Otherwise you might need to find some books of inbetween length - just enough to stretch her a bit without it seeming too overwhelming. Also are you reading aloud to her from the type of books you want her to read - many children will pick up the read aloud you are reading and finish it by themselves if you finish the part you are reading at some very exciting point.

[shell0830]

I would focus on the quality of the literature and not the quantity. Find a genre of something she is interested in and present her some choices to pick from. My dd wouldn't read books without pictures until I required certain books to be read this year, and she loved them. I started with horse books because that is her thing (misty, black beauty, etc).

 

Look at the Lexile level of the book. You can find shorter books with higher lexiles so she is reading at grade level, and increase the size gently throughout the year.

 

When she is picking things for free-reading, i would show her the sections of books she should choose from, and to choose at least one, but also allow her to pick her old comfort zone too.

 

And lastly...download some books so she can't see how big/daunting they are!

[Walking-Iris]

Sounds like my oldest ds. I've started assigning reading as well. But so he still has a choice, what we've done is to sit down and talk about our books and then together we pick out up to 12 books and we pull them off the shelf and put them on a shelf together. Then we have reading time every afternoon. And he has to read from one of those selected books. A minimum of 2 chapters a day, but of course he can keep going if he wants. The rest of the time I let him read and look at whatever he likes. I also keep up with daily read alouds.

 

I reserve the right to veto any of his choices for his reading shelf. He tries to read the same books over and over and gets stuck. So I'll tell him to give the Wimpy Kid or his Calvin and Hobbes comics a rest. I let him choose books that are below his reading level if I think they will help him read. Sometimes he likes to read things he can finish in a day too. Magic Tree House Merlin Missions for example. And that's okay. I also ask that he choose 1-2 nonfiction books as well.

 

I think he was just overwhelmed at his choices. Selecting some books helped him narrow down what he wanted to read instead of being overwhelmed with all the books on the shelf. At the library I have started doing the same thing, because he'll try to check out the same books. So I'll just randomly pick a section of the library and browse and talk about the books with him until he can find one or two to check out.

 

It's a fine line. I have to expect reading time but I don't want to demand it so much that it feels like a chore and kills his desire to read.

 

I have also noticed he's more likely to read a book that we've just read as a read aloud. I don't think all kids are going to be voracious readers. My husband was a good student but didn't really read for pleasure until late high school. And he still mostly reads nonfiction.

 

I think a good question to ask ourselves is what's the minimum of books a child *should* read each year? If our kids aren't yet voracious readers then we may have to start assigning a bit more. Read alouds help insure that they are familiar with certain themes and subjects. But how much to assign? I've been pondering that myself. Continue with daily silent reading time? Continue to have child read aloud? Assign one novel at reading level a month or so? Incentive type rewards?

[Jay3fer]

I have also noticed he's more likely to read a book that we've just read as a read aloud.

 

I've seen this in my kids - they LOVE revisiting chapter books on their own once we've read them together. And this still counts, even if they're not reading every single word, just their favourite anecdotes!

 

I am going to assume you are still reading aloud to her - yes? :lol:

10 is far too early to stop. So take on the complex books together.

 

My dd - who is now 16 and who loves reading - was and still is a bit "lazy" this way... she enjoyed things like Cam Jansen and Junie B. Jones books WAY past the age where she was supposed to have moved on. To be very honest, I read a lot of difficult literary fiction and pretty challenging non-fiction, but quite often I'll pick up a teen book... just 'cuz it's easier. ;-)

[Ohmomjacquie]

My dd isn't into chapter books. Trying to get her there with incentives "finding what interests her etc. For the school year coming up I have picked books for assigned reading. I tried to find what she would likd and they ge more challenging as the year goes on.we will do a chapter a day.

Another thought. Have you used readers for school or books?) N k my dd had books and loved reading. The past 2 years we've used readers and I've noticed a big change in her attitude towards reading.

[miracleone]

Thank you for all the postings. Yes, we are still reading aloud, consistently. Her vision is fine. She's currently reading Enid Blyton's books and those have big fonts too. I just wrote down some of the titles that I want her to read this summer (she joined the library summer reading program) and told her to alternate them with her "easy" books. She does not seem to be happy with it. I am about to talk to her about incentives now.

[Mommee & Baba]

This sounds exactly like my dd9. I don't force the issue to where she's uncomfortable with reading. BUT I've found a new "trick". I now load books on my iPad and bust that font size to HUGE and my dd9 will read books that otherwise if saw the original print would SHRIEK at.

 

I don't think forcing her to read something harder is going to make it better. I think the incentives idea might work. My dd9 will read a small printed book more age appropriate if it's with me and we alternate reading together.

 

When I put together her "summer reading list" it's with books from below her level to where she "should" be and mix them up...easy, then something a bit harder, then easy, then something a bit harder...ect. She hasn't caught on to my way of sorting her reading list...LOL!