Middle School, Reading and Tweens: Motivate Your Preteen to Read

Encouraging your tween to take an interest in reading may not be easy. Don't throw in the towel yet, there are ways to help motivate your tween to read. The suggestions below can help you accomplish just that.

1. Middle School, Reading and Tweens: Read What's Popular

Motivating your tween to read is so important, and when your child hits middle school, reading skills play an important role in school success. Recent research indicates that readers do better on standardized testing, such as the SATs, than do non-readers.

2. Consider Magazines

In middle school, reading can be seen as uncool. If books don't interest your son or daughter, subscribe to a magazine that might cater to their interests. There are several magazines that cater to the tween girl market, including Girls Life and Discovery Girls. Both offer a lot of information on dealing with school problems, social problems, and making the most of the tween years.

3. Start a Club

Tween book clubs are popping up at libraries across the country, and even some school districts are sponsoring middle school reading clubs. A book club gives tweens the chance to read a book together and share their observations and comments about the story. If a club isn't offered in your area, consider starting one with your child and her friends.

4. Enlist Their Help

Ask your child if she's willing to read to younger siblings or neighbors in order to help them improve their reading skills. The chance to share a story may be enough to encourage her to keep reading for fun.

5. Prioritize

You can still encourage your preteen to read by setting aside an hour every week just for reading. Make television and other distractions off limits during reading time. Make this time fun, by selecting a book the two of you can read together, or simply sit down with your tween and read your own book while he reads his.

6. Set an Example

Set a good example by taking an interest in reading yourself. Also, consider joining a parent/child book club together. Parent/child book clubs are becoming popular in many areas. If you can't work one into your schedule, you can still sit down with your son or daughter and share a great story.

http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/educationissues/tp/tweenreading.htm