Tips for promoting reading with Teens
With so many other distractions available, it’s all too easy for teens to turn on the television or log on to a social networking site-rather than pick up something good to read. This is especially true if they think of reading as a school-related chore, rather than an activity done for pleasure. Motivating teens to read can also be complicated by the many other demands on their busy schedules. Luckily, there are many exciting and popular books for teens and plenty of innovative ways to turn teen attention to the written page.
Getting teens to read is a matter of tapping into their interests and making reading rewarding. By using a combination of strategies, you can get teens reading, even voluntarily. The first thing to do is to find reading material that appeals to teens, such as by finding out what other teens are voluntarily reading. It’s one thing to get good books in the a teens’ hands-and another to get them actually reading. By planning rewarding reading-related activities, teens will feel there’s a pay-off in the end-and reading will eventually become its own reward.
What To Do
- Think of reading as a social activity. You can start visiting book and author-related blogs where teens come together to discuss books
- Read together. Have your teen recommend a book for you, and you can in turn recommend a book for your teen. After you have both read each others’ selections, set aside a special time for talking about the books.
- Check out recommended book lists.
- Watch the movie. Sometimes a teen will be motivated to read a book because they liked the movie-or because a well-known film is coming out based on a book.
- Make reading an event.
- Organize a book club.