Do you have boys that hate reading? This post shares 7 tips for helping boys fall in love with reading. The ideas shared can be tweaked to suit boys of all ages and reading levels.
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Why Boys and Why Reading???
For the past three years that I’ve worked as a 4th Grade teacher, I’ve been blessed to have “boy heavy” classes.
Just this past year, I taught two sections of students totaling 40 kiddos and 30 of them were boys.
Active, energetic, competitive, goofy, impulsive boys!
PLUS, I get to come home every day to another “climbing the wall boy” a.k.a my son Caleb!
My heart always sinks those first few weeks of school when I find out that most of my boys hate reading and writing.
I’ve noticed an increase in the number of boys claiming that “reading is for girls.”
So the strategies and tips below are based on personal experience and tons of research on ways to improve boys’ interest in reading.
Encouraging Boys to Read for Pleasure
Now, this post is not a list of tips for improving reading comprehension. My goal here is to help boys enjoy and LOVE reading! I want boys to read for fun too, not just for a good grade.
If you are interested in helping boys (and even girls!) improve their reading performances, here is a list of other posts and resources to help you teach reading comprehension.
Teaching Strategies for Reading Comprehension in the Upper Elementary Classroom
Read Alouds for Upper Elementary Students
Read Aloud with Rigor Series for Building Reading Skills
1- Ignite Boys’ Love for Reading by Reading to Them
One of the simplest ways to help boys fall in love with reading is to read out loud to them. Everyone loves a good story! Reading out loud to your boys shows key things that grab their attention:
- That reading is an experience you can enjoy with others.
- It models appropriate reading skills and strategies.
- Reading out loud exposes them to different types of stories.
In my class, I read picture books and novels out loud to and with my students. It always amazes me how many of my boys request more read-aloud time! I’ve even had boys take the book home to read it again because they enjoyed hearing me read it.
2-Provide a Variety of Reading Material
I have learned not to judge or assume what boys will enjoy reading. Their interests come in a wide variety. So I cater to these interests as much as possible by keeping lots of different reading material in my classroom and at home for my son.
Here are all the different things your boys may love reading:
- Magazines (of ALL genres and topics!)
- Comic Books
- Graphic Novels
- Historical Fiction Novels
- Newspapers
- Picture Books
- Kid-Friendly Informational Books (like Guinness Book of World Records)
I have found so many ways to stock your classroom or home library for cheap so that I can keep a variety of reading material to meet my boys’ interests for reading.
Another Post You Will Enjoy: The BEST Math Read-Alouds EVER!
3-Combine Competition with Reading
This idea came to me after reading so many books about brain research and the ways that boys learn.
Since combining competition with reading, I have noticed a HUGE boost in some of my boys’ love for reading. I prefer self-competition rather than competing against others. But I have had different team-based reading competitions in my class that have gone well.
One way I incorporate this easily in our class is through helping boys earn individual reading points. If your school has Accelerated Reader or Reading Counts, these are great places to start.
Our school is on a 9-week grading system, so every 9-weeks I do reading conferences with students to set new individual goals for reading points.
Some of my boys really love competing against themselves to read more books and gain more reading points.
In the process, they are falling in love with reading and often continue reading a lot just for the fun of it!
4-Give Your Boys a Choice on What THEY Want to Read
Yes, this tip was a hard one for me. I assumed that some of my 4th graders would end up reading “baby books” and not stretching themselves to read more grade-appropriate material.
Honestly, sometimes that was very true! But I realized that they would also choose books that were on their reading level if it matched their interests.
Which goes back to having lots of reading material available. Boys will read if you have books they will like reading. When you give them a choice, they become a part of their own learning process.
This builds their motivation to read because they are reading things that they actually like!
You can encourage your boys to read for pleasure if you allow them to choose.
5-Let Them See YOU Reading for Fun
Every Friday afternoon, my students and I have extended D.E.A.R Time (Drop. Everything. And. Read) One of my room moms purchased a class set of pillows just for this time so that we could spread all around the room on the floor and read.
I play very soft background music, curl up with a good book of my own and we all read for 30 minutes straight!
It is my absolute favorite time of the week. When my boys see me reading, some of them will try and get my attention to find out what I’m reading.
Once they see my love and interest in reading, they are more willing to open up about what they are reading. Continually doing this helps improve their stamina and love for reading.
Imagine it this way: would your kids at home be excited to eat Brussel Sprouts if they never see you enjoying them???
6-Highlight Books with Boys as the Main Character
As I choose novels and picture books, I am conscious of things like ethnicity, age, and gender with the book characters. I believe it’s important to highlight characters that all my students can identify with.
Only choosing books with characters that are the same race or the same gender leaves those who are different completely out. This will quickly lead to them being disconnected and uninterested in reading when it’s always one or the other.
Mix it up by choosing books that represent all students.
Here are just a few of my personal favorites; chapter books that showcase a boy as the main character:
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
- The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
- My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
This list is only a snippet! There are so many great books out there which highlight a boy as the main character. Some of your boys may be more encouraged to read them.
7-Allow E-Books and AudioBook Reading
Digital books come with features that make reading a pretty cool experience for all kids–especially boys! My son Caleb LOVES reading e-books through the Amazon Free Time Unlimited Program.
He can tap on words that he doesn’t know to see the definition. He also loves how it shows more books that he will like once he’s finished reading something.
I noticed the same delight for reading from my students in the classroom once I started using the Amazon Kindle Unlimited in my class.
Audiobooks and e-books provide a different experience with reading that can make reading fun. When reading is fun, boys are more likely to engage in it.
I am always recommending Amazon’s reading programs because I love just paying one low price for tons of digital reading options each month. They even have magazines and several non-fiction options.
Click HERE try out a full month for FREE of the Amazon Unlimited.
Click HERE to try a FREE month of the Reading Program for kids.
You can use either program on any tablet or device.
My journey to transform learning for ALL students is never-ending. Hearing my boys change from “reading is for girls” to “Ms. Marshall, I want to finish reading this series!” makes my heart sing!
Hopefully these ideas will help you get the ball rolling on motivating the fantastic boys in your classroom to fall in love with reading.
