At the beginning of the new school year, students are thrilled to learn about new and interesting knowledge in each academic subject. They are excited about being in school with friends, teachers, and they look forward to all of the activities the new school year brings. But, are they motivated to read? Do the students enjoy reading at school and at home? What would make reading fun? We all want to know how to motivate each child to read and to be successful. One of the easiest ways to motivate a child to read is to make reading FUN!
As adults, we like certain things that interest us and keep us motivated. Whether it is work related, a hobby, sports, culture, traveling, the arts, etc. We all read in order to learn new things. Sometimes it is difficult to do because of time or other constraints. Or, we as adults, do not have an interest in reading books. Maybe this reason is because we “read enough at work” or maybe we do not know what to read ourselves.
How do we make reading fun for us? What do we do in order to keep us interested in a topic or activity? Maybe we need to understand that as adults, we like to do things because they make us feel good and we have an interest in learning a certain subject. When we read something, it is because we chose to read or do the activity. Do children choose books or other texts because they are interested in them? “Researchers have identified a number of factors important to reading motivation including self-concept and value of reading, choice; time spent talking about books, types of text available, and the use of incentives.” (Gambrell & Marinak, 2009)
Some teachers use incentives in the classroom to complete assignments or to reward positive behaviors. If adults and parents use incentives and rewards that are carefully selected they can support and not undermine reading motivation in children. Rewards can be anything from a bookmark, special pen or pencil, to a book of choice. If you use your interests and passions in life to find a good book, magazine, or newspaper to read, you will find that you are engaged and motivated to read. We can do this with children to help find the motivation to read. Use post-it notes and highlighters and see what happens to the child who is developing into a life-long reader.
For children’s book ideas please view the 2011 International Reading Association’s Teacher Choices at this link.
