Legos. Bicycles. Toy trucks. Video games. These are the stereotypical things that occupy a boy's time. Due to this, it may be difficult to get boys to sit down and actually read. In the book Best Books for Boys: How to Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives by Pam Allyn, she offers suggestions and books on how to get boys involved with reading! Many years ago there was a student, Whalon, who inspired her to start Books for Boys. This program brought books to the boys of New York City's foster care program. Hundreds of boys, who were disconnected from reading, entered the program.
In her book, Allyn states the facts. According to the 2010 Kids and Family Reading Report sponsored by Scholastic, “only 93 percent of boys say reading books for fun is extremely or very important versus 62 percent of girls.” To help change this, Allyn suggests giving boys choices in their reading (i.e. what they would like to read). This is where their stereotypical items (legos, bicycles, toy trucks, and video games) come into play. Finding books that are similar to their interests will spark a love of reading in the child. Having boys read individually or in a group will also be helpful. Published articles state that boys are failing or underperforming academically when compared to girls. “Video and computer games, sports pages, magazines, comic books, and graphic novels all have countless words and opportunities for boys to practice and strengthen their reading skills.”
Using the reading model from another of Allyn's books, What to Read When, will help encourage boys to read and not view reading as a chore. The acronym READ stands for Ritual, Environment, Access, and Dialogue. These are the four keys to helping a child become a lifelong reader. By supporting "quick reads" for boys, this will help to build their confidence.
Choosing books and characters that the boys identify with will also help with their reading confidence. For example, if your son loves to ride bikes, perhaps get him a book on Lance Armstrong. As in the book, What to Read When, Allyn lists numerous books in multiple categories. Some of the categories include: Action and Adventure, Art and Music, Comic Books and Graphic Novels, Fantasy and Imagination, as well as Sports, and Humor. Many of the books from your own past appear on these lists. For example, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, and the Garfield comic series by Jim Davis are books from the past that may appeal to children of today.
In this book, Allyn hopes to contribute to boys having a new found love reading. The District of Columbia Public Library is a good place to visit if looking for the books in the various categories, or if you would like to take your son, nephew, or grandson to find books that interest him. There are many Summer Reading Programs that take place during the upcoming summer. This will allow boys to have fun in choosing their books, but also practice their reading over the summer to prepare for the upcoming school year.
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