Power Moms Unite

Inspiring reluctant readers is a challenge- a challenge that becomes bigger and bigger as students become older and reading requirements become larger and more frequent.   Let’s be honest, when you look at it from a student’s point of view, here comes an authority figure handing you, the non-book lover, a huge book which you are not only required to read, but answer content questions. It would overwhelm any non-book lover, regardless of age. 

Consider the use of paperclips to help overcome the anxiety of a large reading assignment.  As I recently asked my 7^th grader, “how do you eat an elephant?”  The answer- “One forkful at a time.”  We break apart the reading of a large novel or text chapter by reading only to the clip.  We repeat this daily or twice a day- depending on the urgency to complete the assignment, until the entire reading assignment is complete.  Anxiety is eliminated or at least lessened- for both parent (usually Mom) and student.  

For more tips like this, attend CHADD’s Parent to Parent Family Training Class, online classes are forming now.