What type of reader is your child?

If we teach a child to read, yet develop not the taste for reading, all our teaching is for naught. We shall have produced a nation of “illiterate literates” – those who know how to read, but do not read. The major purpose for teaching children to read is to help them become readers who readily turn to books for information and enjoyment. (Charlotte S. Huck, 1973)

Parents need to start the good habit of reading. The younger the child, the easier it is to inculcate this habit. In this post, we aim to help parents to identify the reader type that their child belongs to. We hope that this will enable parents and teachers to more quickly recommend early intervention strategies to improve the child’s literacy level.

According to Beers (1998), there are five basic types of readers along a continuum of literacy level: “unskilled”, “unmotivated”, “uncommitted”, “dormant” and “avid” readers. It is our aim to move children towards the “avid reader” category.

Reference: Beers, Kylene (1998). Choosing not to read: Understanding why some middle schoolers just say no. From “Into Focus: Understanding and Creating Middle School Readers”. Christopher-Gordon Pub.