After decades of helping struggling and reluctant readers, we know this for sure: The more kids read, the faster they'll improve. In One Minute Reader, the quickest path to reading competency is to successfully complete as many stories as possible while maintaining accuracy and comprehension. So how can you motivate kids to increase the number of stories they read?

The One Minute Reader system is inherently motivating, but here are a couple more tips to get kids even more excited:

1. Incentives! One Minute Reader gives kids points as they work through the steps for each story. Kids have fun accumulating these points--especially if they result in a reward! Many parents like to offer a small token (a treat, a sticker, a bit of screen time) when their child reaches a certain number of points. Small rewards could also be offered after the child passes a certain number of One Minute Reader stories or gets through a certain number of books. Be sure to verbally recognize your child's achievements, too. When you acknowledge your child's improvement in reading, it's often the best reward of all. 
   
   
2. Change the number of required Read Alongs and Read Alones based on performance. The One Minute Reader program requires kids to read along with audio recordings of the story and then to practice reading the story alone until able to read the story fluently. In the beginning, kids will often need to read along with the recording and practice the story more than once. However, if your child is making great progress and seems ready for a challenge, you can reduce the number of times they're required to read along and practice. (Parents can change these settings or each reader under the My Readers button in the reader management system.) This will allow them to progress through the stories more quickly. Conversely, kids who are not making the progress you'd expect may benefit from increasing the number of Read Alongs and Read Alones required until they become more fluent.
   
   
3. Do additional research. One Minute Reader stories are about fascinating nonfiction topics. Kids working through the program will learn about everything from the invention of popsicles to meat-eating plants to barrier-breaking athletes. When your child seems particularly interested in a certain topic, it's easy to turn that interest into additional minutes of reading. Help them google more facts about the topic, or better yet, help them find a book about it at the library. The extra time they spend researching and reading about their favorite topic will translate into increased reading proficiency.
   
   
4. Read together. Reading with your kids is one of the most effective ways to help them improve. When parents take the time to read with struggling or reluctant readers, the kids experience reading as enjoyable instead of frustrating. Teaching them words they may not know or asking them to read paragraphs aloud with you are great strategies to build their competence. One Minute Reader helps kids improve their reading skills independently. When parents combine this program with quality reading time together, kids tend to reach their reading goals quickly and with minimal frustration.

So much of parenting involves trying to motivate kids to do things they need to do but may not want to do. Struggling and reluctant readers often stay stuck because they lack the desire to practice. Finding little ways to encourage them to read more and to read consistently is essential. We at One Minute Reader are here to help! Check out a free trial of our motivating program today, or get in touch with your questions.