What Boys Read

16 November

So many parents say, “I have no problem with my daughter, but my son just doesn’t like to read.”  Right now, I don’t identify.  My 4-year-old son loves to read as much as his sisters, but I worry that as he grows older, he will become a non-reader.  As explained in an Ontario study (2004), few boys have this attitude early in their schooling, but according to some experts, nearly 50% of boys call themselves non-readers by the time they enter secondary school.

If your son used to love reading, but you find he is increasingly disinterested, uncommitted or unmotivated, there is hope.  First of all, don’t give up.  Boys do read.  They just don’t like “school” reading.  It’s a matter of finding what clicks. What book is the right book for a boy?  “A good book for a boy is one he wants to read”(Moloney, 2002).  It’s a matter of having the right stuff. 

Boys like to read:-

Books about what they aspire to be and to do;

Books that make them laugh and appeal to their sense of mischief;

Fiction that focuses on action more than emotion;

Series books which provide a sense of comfort and familiarity;

Science fiction or fantasy;

Newspapers, magazines, comic books, baseball cards, and instruction manuals – materials that are often not available in the classroom.

Interestingly, when they read these materials, they are often reading above grade level but do not think they are reading at all, because these types of materials are not valued at school.