Struggling readers, especially teens, don't develop a profound love of reading by some gift from above. Adolescent literacy is achieved through practice. And yet all too often, teens whose only exposure to reading is through assignments at school begin to view reading as a drudge. It doesn't have to be that way though. Here are some tips for enriching the learning environment at home.
Turn off the TV and schedule time
Television is the antithesis of reading in that it is a completely passive experience It is also very mentally addictive. One of the best methods you can use to counteract the effects of TV is to schedule regular times where the teen should read with you. Try picking days and times where television programming is of particularly poor value (just about any time…) and stick with it.
Make books accessible
Make your home conducive to reading by providing a rich source of books that you have researched as being popular with teenage readers. Explore with your teen what they're interested in and make sure that those types of reading materials are readily accessible. Most major online bookstores have best seller lists and consumer reviews that assist a parent in choosing a nice variety of popular titles.
Lead by example
Children of parents that read are more likely to become active readers themselves. When children see that their parents enjoy reading, they are likely to become curious and are more open to regular reading sessions. Although this is a delicate balancing act between regular homework coupled with all the extracurricular activities that are popular today, improving high school reading comprehension is certainly worth the effort. As has been said many times, you get out of parenting what you put into it. Giving the gift of a love for reading without a doubt is a very satisfying thing both for the parent and their child.
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