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Tips to get boys reading
Tips to get boys reading
Research consistently shows that boys are more likely to struggle with reading compared with girls and only 1 in 4 boys read outside of class everyday.
In a survey carried out by the National Literacy Trust, 76% of UK schools said boys are lagging behind girls in literacy. Further evidence suggests that this gap extends to other aspects such as reading for pleasure, reading choices and attitudes towards reading.
At BookSpace, everything we do is the result of years of research into presenting books to children in a positive and engaging way.
Here are 6 top tips to support boy-friendly practice in your primary school and get boys reading:
Celebrate reading in all its formats
Display a wide range of reading materials that will appeal to disengaged boys:
Newspapers, magazines, comic books, graphic novels, football cards, audio books, are often materials that are not available in the school library or classroom.
Avoid sending out a message, however subliminal, which says print fiction is better than electronic media. Beanstalk, a UK Charity providing volunteer readers for primary school children, found that boys respond particularly well to technology-based reading. Using google maps to research new places, reading news stories online or checking facts online often gain lots of interest from boys. If you’d like to read more about their findings, take a look at this article posted on the Headteacher Update: https://www.headteacher-update.com/best-practice-article/encouraging-boys-to-read/66791/
Chris White, Sales and Marketing Manager at BookSpace, shared with us his own experience as a young reader who needed motivation to pick up a book.
“As a child, I wasn’t a natural reader and needed lots of encouragement. My parents bought the audio book version of Burglar Bill and it really helped bring the story to life. I listened along as I followed the words and it gave me confidence as a young reader. And it’s still my favourite children’s book to this day”
Encourage boys to make ‘real’ reading choices
Try to allow boys to make ‘real’ reading choices when reading for pleasure rather than what you would like them to choose. Boys tend to prefer:
- books that feature humour, science fiction, fantasy, action or horror
- information books that contain facts. Studies into boys’ attitudes towards reading show that they engage much more when it is for a purpose and they like to be ‘expert’ on topics which they are interested in
- Lift-the-flap and pop-up books – younger boys will love the tactile elements
Give lots of praise, validate their choices with positive reinforcement and genuine interest. For more ways to help children choose books independently, check out these strategies by the ‘Children’s Library Lady’ –
https://childrenslibrarylady.com/strategies-choose-books-independently/
Think about your school library furniture
Make sure your reading spaces have boy appeal – include exciting features that make the reading experience feel special. Our Reading Hideaway is especially successful with boys; try displaying a selection of books that will appeal to boys and you’ll find they respond to them much more than on standard library shelving.
As well as the books you feature in your reading area also try and make the space itself more relaxed and appealing to boys. An area where they have some privacy, an input into the design of the surroundings and the type of seating – even if this means cushions or beanbags on the floor. Make sure the colours are gender neutral and not alienating to boys.
Add some drama to the reading experience
Boys thrive on activity, so try incorporating this into reading time. Activities like roleplay, improvisation and mimes can enhance motivation and kinaesthetic learning is shown to improve engagement and keep boys’ minds active.
In 2019, the BookSpace designers worked with staff at the Norfolk and Norwich Millienium Library to redesign their children’s area. A key part of the brief was to create a roleplay area with costumes, puppets and props from popular children’s books to animate the reading experience. The Story House was a huge success and went down well with boys who couldn’t wait to ‘act out’ what they were reading.
Give priority to promoting positive male reading role models
It’s tough being a boy in a world dominated by women and girls who love books – classmates (achieving higher reading scores) teachers (lots more woman than men in primary schools) mums and grandmas (still the primary carer for most boys aged 10 or younger).
Have you heard about Caught Reading? It’s hugely popular in the USA and is a great idea for promoting reading role models around school. Try this: ask pupils to take photos of themselves reading in fun or unusual places – the more imaginative the better. Then display the photos in the school library or corridors and watch how boys react to seeing other boys having fun reading. You can ask male members of staff to get involved too and show pupils that men are readers too!
You can download more ideas on how you to use Caught Reading here.
Take reading outside of the classroom
The success of Forest Schools and other outdoor learning initiatives has helped to raise the awareness of the benefits of taking learning outside of the classroom. Teaching children in the fresh air has proven to raise attainment and achievement, improve behaviour and improve the engagement of all groups of pupils, including those who are hard to engage inside the classroom environment.
Boys in particular love building dens. With a few household items such as boxes and sheets, ask your class to build a temporary reading den and use natural objects likes leaves, sticks and stones for decoration. For lots of ideas on creating an inviting reading garden, download our free resource here.
We hope you find these tips useful and we’d love to hear your own ideas and suggestions. Why not post your pictures on our Facebook page to share with other teachers and librarians – click here to view our page.
BookSpace library design services
Are you thinking about redesigning your school library? Contact our library design team on 0121 246 2777 to find out about our free library design service for primary schools.