Reading slowly can be a concern, both for children and parents – after all, being behind the curve in school often puts children in an uncomfortable place. For parents, it may be frustrating to work with your children to try to help them catch up. Often, if a child is behind, they may avoid trying to catch up for fear of embarrassment or out of frustration.
As a parent, it is important to remind your children why reading is important – after all, today pretty much everything we do requires some level of reading. Putting reading in a positive light – especially reading books, which has been scientifically proven to improve children’s overall ability to learn, as well as teach them important skills such as empathy and relationship building – is an important job for parents to take on.
However, no matter the reason your child is reluctant to read or struggles to read, there are a variety of books that will help slow readers feel motivated to read and engage them with the material in front of them. After all, the best way to promote learning is to make learning fun.
Recommended Reading for Slow Readers
Here is some recommended reading for slow readers:
Books for Reluctant Readers
There are several series of books that children who are reluctant to read will find amusing, for quite a variety of reasons. IT is important to make sure you find a series your child likes – one that they find engaging and funny, so they do not feel that reading is a chore. Below are a few options parents and teachers have recommended for helping keep kids interested in and motivated to read.
I Had A Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn Age 4-6
I Had a Favorite Dress is a wonderful book for young readers, having a poetic literary theme, this book is about adapting change and holding on to special memories. It engages the reader with its beautiful illustrations and creative changes. With 32 pages, each page has less than a paragraph to read.
Wayside School Series Ages 8-12
These books have been around for quite some time and are still popular among many students. The books tell the tale of a wacky school, where interesting things are always bound to happen. With a cast of relatable characters and an amusing plotline, this series does an excellent job of keeping kids interested. The overall language of the book is easy to read, with sentence structures complex enough to engage your children, but not enough to frustrate them – making it a perfect choice for children who struggle to read.
Zita The Space Girl Series 8-12
Graphic novels are often easier for children who struggle to read to interact with, as they provide more pictures and tell the story in a different way, while still providing text to be read. Zita, in this series, is a space adventurer who travels to distant planets. The story itself is easy to read and helps engage children in the reading process.
Teens
Unboxed by Non Pratt
For older children, Non Pratt is a fantastic author. This book is aimed at teenage kids but designed with one thing in mind – making books for children who have dyslexia easier to read. The story itself follows the adventures of four children who uncover a box of letters left by a deceased friend – and an additional letter, which leads them on a secret journey. It is an easy to read story for children who may struggle with traditional books and continues to engage children who may be reluctant to read.
The Hate You Give
The Hate you give is a young adult novel about 16-year-old Starr Carter who is balancing two worlds. This is a great novel that discusses race and the world we live in today. It is an easy read as well as an informative read.
Other Resources
While there are books that may be helpful in attempting to engage your children when it comes to reading, we understand that isn’t always enough. Furthermore, we understand that in some cases, it can be hard to handle assisting your kid on you on their journey to read.
That is why Youth Villages provides resources for families who struggle with children who have special needs and traumatic pasts. While resources like this aren’t always what fits best for your child if your child suffers from a learning disability, institutions such as these are able to assist in finding the right path to helping your child be successful.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there are a wide variety of resources available to help reading for slow readers – what is most important is focusing on what your child needs to be successful. If you are worried that you won’t be able to provide the resources needed to see your child do their best, you can always reach out to agencies such as Youth Village who are willing to help you help your child.
Brittany Waddell is a contributing writer and media specialist for Youth Villages. She often produces content for a variety of parenting blogs.