7 Ways to Encourage Middle School Reading

In my homeschool, our cozy corner was any place where our dog was hiding. Behind a couch or in the sun's rays, reading with a pet increases a sense of coziness, which children will learn to associate with reading. You can supply pillows or blankets, and some parents will create a corner near a bookshelf filled with fun and age-appropriate books.

As children get older, they may eschew their reading corner and spend more time in their room. You can create a bedroom and routine that encourages independent reading. Remove technology from their room first, so they read instead of playing online. Set up bedtime reading boundaries and a lights-out time. You could get a fun or stylish reading light or headlamp, so they can read at night. Then, your child can read until they get sleepy, and turn off the light without getting out of bed. Avoid letting them read using digital devices, because that can negatively affect their sleep quality.

Some adults (like me!) love to have their coffee while they read the paper each morning, and other adults love to read their novel while sipping tea. You can use that same cozy yumminess with your teens. You can provide cocoa or cookies to keep it simple. Or you can go all out, and create more classic tea time, like the Tuesday Tea Time suggested by Brave Writer, and incorporate discussion and poetry with your treats.

Once your children learn how to read, the next step is increasing their vocabulary, speed, and fluency. Although reading challenging books will help increase vocabulary best, you may need to go in the other direction to help kids read quickly. You can increase speed and fluency by letting them read below their ability level. I know my children may have spent too much time reading Calvin and Hobbes comic books, but it did teach them to read quickly. Be careful to preview the comics you provide, because they have changed over the past few years. You can use higher quality literature too, of course, just use books that are below their reading level. As reading becomes easier, they will read faster and become more confident.

It’s possible to beat the love of reading right out of a child if you analyze and dissect each piece of literature. It’s not necessary or recommended to do literary analysis for every piece of literature they read. Encourage reading for pleasure by avoiding comprehension worksheets when possible. Instead of asking test-like questions, you can occasionally have an open-ended discussion about the merits of the book, and share feelings about it together. Constant literary analysis can cause children to think “this must be school” instead of “I love to read.”

Instead of formal analysis, you can substitute other activities that might be more enjoyable. A simple online search may help you find some great activities for classic books. You may find recipes to bake, field trip suggestions, hands-on crafts, or movie suggestions. Some families will join together for a book club. It can be a simple book club, with each child sharing a brief oral presentation: why they liked the book (or didn’t) and why others should read it (or not). Sure, it’s public speaking, but you can also make it enjoyable for children who just want to get together for fun and treats.

When I was homeschooling, we gathered at a pizza place. After each child spoke, they received a gift certificate for a personal size pizza. My children were highly motivated by pizza, and it was a big success for our whole homeschool support group.

Provide real books (not “school reading books”) that have quality writing and great story lines. There are some children who say they don’t like to read. They may feel that way because they read the wrong books. Try to find books that will interest them – topics they are passionate about. Branch out, and look into different genres of fiction and non-fiction. Consider magazines, non-fiction from their delight directed learning, or even classic graphic novels, like Tintin in Tibet and others.

Anything that encourages them to read is a good idea. Any reading they enjoy wll make other reading easier for them. I know, you don’t want them to read non-fiction and graphic novels exclusively, but providing a wide array of reading will help each child find enjoyment in reading.