How to Increase Reading Stamina in 5 Tear-free steps!

Is your child struggling with building a strong reading stamina?   Learn how to How to Increase Reading Stamina in 5 Tear-free steps!  I’ve personally used all of these methods  with my kids and have seen great results.  I’ve included a FREE Reading Stamina Chart (anchor chart) printable and Tip #4 includes my favorite books for transitioning to chapter books.

One of the biggest hurdles kids need to overcome in developing a love of reading is building their reading stamina.

As adults, we don’t usually think about reading as something that requires stamina but for our little ones who are just starting it out—reading is an activity that actually requires intense prolonged effort.

So, like with any athletic activity, our young readers need to build that muscle and stamina.

My Top Tear Free Tips to Increasing Reading Stamina at Home

Number 1: Explain Reading Stamina to your child in terms they understand.

Explaining the concept of reading stamina will help your child understand the importance as well as the process and hopefully create better cooperation and buy-in.

For example:
My younger daughter fights me when it’s time to read but she really likes being outside and doing athletic activities, so I explained to her that she needs to build her reading stamina, just like she has strong cardio stamina.

We talked all about how the more she runs and bikes and swims, the stronger and faster she gets. Then I explained that it’s the same with reading and the more she does it, the easier it will be.  Once I put it in terms she understood, it started to click.

Number 2: Create an appealing reading nook that will get your child excited to read

In our house, we have a couple different reading spots.

One is a comfy couch with nice pillows in the family room and the other is a special corner in my kids’ bedrooms.

We’ve added floor pillows and a blanket, it’s super cozy.

My older daughter, who’s super creative, changes her design monthly.

Number 3: Provide a variety of level-appropriate books.

I like to include a few that they have mastered and a few that might be a stretch.

I like to start with mystery books or beautifully illustrated books.

The mysteries help keep their interest so they don’t realize how long they’ve read and the beautiful illustrated ones help them transition from picture books to chapter books

Our favorite mystery books are the Magic Treehouse series and the Greetings from Somewhere series.

(We’ve read the first 4 of Greetings from Somewhere and we found the first book was a little slow but the rest of the series is much more exciting.) 

And our favorite beautifully illustrated books are the Welly Wishers books from American Girl.

Just look how beautiful these pictures are!

Funny books are also a great way to keep kids reading.

Some of are our favorite comedic books are the Dodsworth series, Judy Moody,  and of course Ramona and Beezus.

Number 4: Create a stamina chart

The stamina chart creates a visual display of your child’s progress and allows them to see in real-time how well they’re doing.

My daughter loves being able to color more lines in day after day—it helps keep her motivated!

You can download the ones I created (shown above) right here.

Number 5: Set the timer and keep increasing it each time

Start with 5 or 7 minutes and build up from there.

If you have time, try to do 2 sets of independent reading a day ex: 15 and 15.

I’ve been known to set the timer for longer than what I tell my child, just to push them more. Ex: I set it for 15 minutes and tell them it’s only 10.

Number 6: Celebrate their achievements

There are so many ways to celebrate and encourage your child to keep reading.

In our house, we do a variety of different things.

For example, I’ll put stickers on their reading chart for daily encouragement.
Or sometimes if they’ve read a lot and done a really good job (ex: maybe they started a new book that was more challenging) , we’ll go out for ice cream.
Or if there is a related movie, we’ll watch it during Family Movie Night.

And lastly, sometimes we’ll make something in the kitchen that was inspired by the book.

No matter we do, we always try to make it fun to help the little ones develop a life-long love of reading.

And don’t forget to Pin this for later.

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admin

HI! I’m a Shana, self-proclaimed Media Mixologist, wife, and mom to two little girls. I love to mix up cocktails of crafts, recipes, wellness, family and business with just the right amount of sparkle to help you shine everyday. So, grab a glass, and let’s celebrate the cocktail of life!