What do I do with my 'I hate reading' son??

[Belinda]

.

[Belinda]

.

[scarlett]

I remember as a child being put to bed when it was practically daylight in the summer and I had to weigh up playing with the ants on my window sill or reading one of my books .....it was so simple in those days ! Our tv connection recently was playing up and we didn't have a working tv...it was great ! and there was little moaning as it wasn't banned...we had no control and the things we did as a family ! I might pretend the tv isn't working again and perhaps I'll have a fluent boy reader at the end of the week !

[JaneEyre]

It sounds like the lad just hasn't got into a really good series / book yet to make him want to pick one up for pleasure.

I really agree with that. Even Michael Morpurgo used to be a reluctant reader when he was young because his step-father - who had very high academic standards- was making him read books written by 19th-century writers such as Anthony Trollope or Charles Dickens... The English they wrote was not the English Michael spoke or understood.
And then, one day, a miracle! He found a book which he loved: Treasure Island. Michael loved it all; he read the book again and again. One Robert Louis Stevenson led to another: Kidnapped...

So certainly, once your child will have been hooked by a story he really likes, he will become interested in books... if there isn't too much TV or games in the evening!

I am not particularly recommending Treasure island, which can be difficult in terms of vocabulary... What worked for Morpurgo would not automatically suit kids nowadays, though many might enjoy this book once they master the vocab about pirates... you could try Kensuke's kingdom which is more modern.

Have you tried a serie of unfortunate events? (I know, it IS a sad story, but written in a very funny manner.. and difficult words are explained. ).

You could try also ' the ghost of Tomas Kempe' by Penelope Lively. My DS ( an avid reader) couldn't put it down recently... so I am reading it now, and though I usually HATE - absolutely HATE- fantasy books (for example, I couldn't read on The lion, the witch and the wardrobe with my DS, I let him finish the series and watch the films alone), I am really enjoying that one, even though I was reluctant at first for my DS to read it as the messages left by the ghost are in old English... This book is about a young boy - James - who does not believe in ghosts, but all of a sudden bottles are smashed, doors slammed and strange messages are sent to him. Unfortunately, this little boy is being blamed of the mess of the ghost, which is absolutely hilarious...

Good luck!

[menagerie]

Great advice so far on increasing his vocab with audio books and intelligent TV. My son wouldn't read until he discovered Alex Rider by Horowitz. It turned him overnight from a reluctant reader to an avid reader and writer. A Series of Unfortunate events is also great - fantastic vocabulary.
If he enjoys the Bond papers etc - why not do some of the English papers with him too? If he struggles or is bored by them, it could be a sign that he hasn't clicked yet on how to respond to literature. Lots of children feel uneasy that there is no clear cut right or wrong response, that ability is judged on how you present your response, rather than what that response is. Might be helpful to chat around the importance of being able to articulate new ideas well, and to be able to come up with them at all.

I was interested when an english teacher at a local very selective indie school told me that there was renewed interest in english at university because an ability to manipulate language is now so vital at corporate level - ad agencies, marketing, report writing, presentations, and there's a lack of this skill at entry level these days. There's big money in clear, articulate language. That might persuade him! (Imagination is more important than knowledge - Einstein.)

Our other son was very late to engage with reading and only bothered to learn at all when he was given a book of cheats codes for his favourite computer game., But the message clicked: read and you can access all the knowledge you ever wanted. Maybe pass articles to him on subjects that interest him, or show him websites (still reading0 on things he loves, as a way in.

[no_ball]

My ds only reads "top gear" magazine. He still managed to pass his entrance exams this year gone. We get too hung up on this reading books thing in my opinion especially at a young age. If it is meant to be, it will happen naturally.

[yoyo123]

any reading is better than no reading...

magazines, newspapers, backs of cereal packets..it's all good!

yours Beano Fan of Kent