Written by the CultivaTeen Roots Team

7-minute read

 Understanding why your teen is hesitant to read is the first step in helping them navigate this challenge. While some adolescents may connect reading with previous difficulties in school, others might view it as a requirement versus an enjoyable activity. Reading is critical for academic and future success– improving critical thinking and comprehension skills, providing exposure to new vocabulary, and building verbal expression. Talking with your teen about their feelings towards reading in an open and supportive way can help them increase their confidence.  

Why Are Some Teens Reluctant to Read?

1.  Competing Priorities: Teens in today’s world are juggling a lot of different demands. From schoolwork, and extracurricular activities, to social media, and emotional ups and downs. There is little time to read for pleasure. Teens today are surrounded by so many distractions, so reading may take a backseat to other activities, especially if it feels like a chore.
2.  Negative Feelings Associated With Reading: Some teens may feel like reading is an obligation because it is required in their classes at school. Other teens may have had past negative experiences while learning how to read or as a reader. It can be hard to convince a teen who associates reading with discomfort or anxiety to spend more time doing that activity. 
3.  Lack of Interest: Adolescence is a time of self-discovery, so teens' interests are constantly evolving. Or they may not know yet what their interests are. This can make it difficult for your child to pick out or finish a book. Teens are also more drawn to digital media formats like smartphones and apps, television or videos, and gaming, which offer instant gratification. Without finding the right type of content, teens may completely resist the idea of reading altogether. 
4.  Struggling with Literacy: When teens struggle with basic reading skills, the last thing they want to do is read a book for pleasure. They may have a hard time with decoding words, comprehension, or reading fluency– this can make basic reading materials difficult for your teen to understand, creating a cycle of avoidance and stagnation in skills.  

So, what can parents do to encourage reluctant teen readers to read? In the next section, we will review some tips to try with your teen!

Tips to Support a Reluctant Reader

1. Create a Reading-Friendly Environment: This is one of the best, and easiest, ways you can support a reluctant reader. Work with your teen to find a cozy spot in your house that you can dedicate to reading. You can have them personalize the space by letting them pick out a candle, pillow, or snacks to have on hand. Make sure to keep a range of reading materials available in your reading spot or provide easy access to your local library for your teen. You and your teen can collaborate together on what kind of books, magazines, newspapers, graphics novels, or books of poetry you want to have on hand.
2. Let Them Choose the Books: As previously mentioned, when it comes to reluctant readers, the key is helping them find a book that connects to an interest. Research supports this idea that teens are more likely to engage with reading when they have autonomy over the material they read. A 2019 study published by the International Journal of Educational Research found that student choice was a significant factor in improving reading motivation and engagement (Smith, 2019). Help your student get started by encouraging them to: check in with the school librarian to find books of interest, talk to their English teacher, ask their friends for a recommendation, read a book that was made into a movie, listen to an audiobook or podcast, start a book club with friends. 
3. Set Realistic Expectations: Fifteen minutes of reading a day is a realistic expectation for a teen to commit to. By setting a small achievable reading goal with your teen, you are encouraging and helping them practice important skills like time management, concentration, comprehension, goal setting, consistency, and critical thinking.

4.  Encourage Audiobooks: E-books and audiobooks are wonderful alternatives for reluctant readers. Teens often find it more enjoyable when they can listen to a book while reading along rather than just reading, especially if they have a hard time with reading comprehension or struggle with inattentiveness. Reading and listening at the same time can help improve literacy skills in a different, multifaceted way. Some digital e-books have interactive features such as adding notes, highlighting texts, dictionaries, and font adjustments. These all can contribute to a pleasurable reading experience for your teen.
5.   Reading as a Social Activity: Reading a book with your teen is one way to support your reluctant reader. Engaging in conversations and discussions with peers and other people can make reading a shared experience, nurturing connections and making reading feel like less of an individual activity. Online communication forums like Goodreads are other ways to include your teen in a shared reading experience. Numerous Instagram accounts share reading lists and provide a way for teens to connect with others who share similar reading interests. 
6. The “40-Page Rule”: Give your teen a tool to decide if a book is right for them by using the "40-Page Rule." Encourage them to read at least the first 40 pages before making a decision. If they’re not engaged by then, it’s perfectly fine to switch to another book. This approach helps teens explore different genres, maintain interest, and build a lifelong love of reading.

The Importance of Literacy & Final Thoughts

Encouraging your teen to read is valuable for many reasons– it helps build strong literacy skills, boosts critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, builds vocabulary, and introduces teens to new concepts, ideas, and topics. You can help your teen build a more positive relationship with reading by better understanding how they view themself as a reader, helping them connect their interests to reading materials, and getting them support to manage learning difficulties that impact reading skills. If you're looking for more practical strategies for working with reluctant readers, our course Making AdoleSense covers a wide range of techniques for supporting your teen’s academic and emotional growth.

References:

• Smith, J. (2019). Student Choice and Its Impact on Motivation and Engagement in Reading. International Journal of Educational Research.
• National Literacy Trust. (2021). Encouraging Teen Reading: Research on Teen Reading Habits.
• American Library Association. (2020). Reading and Literacy Development for Teens.