Practical Tips for Boy Readers

Boys. Books.

If these two words look foreign next to each other, keep reading! I’m not going to repeat everything from the first article, so read Part 1 if you haven’t already. That’s where you’ll find more of the details on the differences between the male and female brain… at least as far as literacy goes! ;)

I also briefly explained the formats and genres that guys tend to prefer. If you wrestle with your son, husband, father, brother or uncle to read, that’ll hopefully give you a little more understanding!

So now comes the more practical advice! What are some of the things you can do to encourage your son to read more?

Go to the library!!! I know this sounds  a little self-serving, but it’s true. The younger they come in, the more normal it is to be around books at a young age. 

Storytimes and programs, specifically, are high-interest “entertainment” social times and a great way to help boys see something associated with reading is “fun."

Plus, they get to know me and feel comfortable asking me for help finding books, which would be will be key if they feel like they can’t find anything they want to read some day in the future.

Now here’s one statement I want to make abundantly clear to moms: You are welcome here! What do I mean by that? Well, more times than I can count, I’ve had moms come up to me and say they want to drop out of the baby storytime with their son because as soon as he can walk and talk, he’s running around making lots of noise. Well, that’s exactly why we do baby programs on a Friday morning, which tends to be our slowest time of week! Yes, ideally, we want to encourage kids to be well-behaved in the library, but that comes from time and exposure. It is so much better for you to continue to come, sticking with the routine so that he learns. I’d rather him be only moderately more distracting than any one of the other 1 or 2 year olds in a toddler story but learning how to behave in the library than for him be the 4 year old coming into the library for the first time and going nuts while all the other kids are paying attention!

Another necessary thing is to get Dad involved. If Dad, Grandpa, Uncle, Big Brother already reads with the kids, that’s great, but if not… I highly encourage it! Boys in particular need positive male reader role models. Now hopefully dads feel comfortable reading to their kids, but if not, encourage them. If they feel self-conscious reading in front of Mom, give Dad and the kids some privacy. It all depends. I’ve seen dads completely at home in the library; I’ve seen others pretty uncomfortable.

And if your husband says “he doesn’t read”, point out that reading online, the newspaper or magazines counts! Because it does! [That’s another point, affirm reading choices in guys, don’t put them down as “not reading” or “sub-literature”]

As I said in Part I, guys read differently. And their sons need to see them reading! If your child is signed up for a storytime and it’s at night, the weekend or your husband’s day off, have him take your son… or at least come with you.

Since so often it’s female teachers, librarians and moms who read to kids, they need to see that Dad cares about reading, too! If your son has a male teacher, take advantage of it! There are some great male teachers in East Penn and having worked with some on a Guys Read program, I know they want to see your son love read!

Offer a wide variety of reading choices! Whether it’s reading material you own or stuff you borrow here, boys need options, just like adults do! Sometimes you’re in the mood for something serious and heavy, sometimes light and fluffy. Sometimes you want something informational, and other times you want to read something that's a release.

With boys, the variety includes getting an audio or graphic novel or magazine. Regardless, when I have patrons come in, I usually send them home with a couple options, that way, they’re covered whatever mood they’re in. By giving them choice, when possible, it lets them feel some control. Even if they have a school assignment, you can give them a few options that will fit the requirement.

Some other general ideas… If you're helping a boy find a book, always ask him what he likes to do, not "what he likes to read." When you ask a boy what he wants to read, the majority of the time he'll (truthfully) answer “nothing!”

But if there’s some sport, game, time period, movie…  whatever… he likes, we can find him a book about it! Host a book-themed birthday party (Curious George, Thomas, Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Harry Potter… and of  course, stress the books over the TV show/movie). Give a child a gift card for a bookstore. Never associate reading with punishment (“You’re on timeout, go pick a book and read quietly in your room.”)

Basically, the over-arching goal is to create positive associations with reading, especially at the key age range where boys are forming their ideas on books. If your son finds reading painful… he’ll fight you on it. He won’t do it other than when he’s forced to. If he’s not reading, the skill’s not building, so he could get further behind compared to his peers. Then he’s going to hate reading even more because he feels like a “failure” and the cycle just continues. This is one reason why I tell parents not to stress when their son is reading Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Goosebumps or the like. They may be immature or formulaic, but if they’re reading… they’re READING. The skill is improving. And I can guarantee, it’s much easier for you, their teacher or me to work on stepping them up to a harder book if they feel like they can actually read than if won’t pick up a book in the first place!

I hope some of these ideas help and please, feel free to come in sometime (preferably with your son!) and I’d love to help him find something to read. With a range of ages and interests out there, it’s hard to be specific in a format like this, but I hope it’s a start!