A reluctant reader is often tired, bored, or still waiting for a book that feels like theirs. Pressure tends to shut the book. Curiosity opens it.
Let them choose. Graphic novels, joke books, and fact books are real reading. Keep reading aloud after they can manage on their own, because a shared story lowers the stakes. An audiobook next to the print copy can help with fluency too.
Keep the session short enough to succeed. One funny page you finish together is worth more than twenty minutes of struggle. Notice the effort, and skip the comparison with a brother or sister.
Free samples make it cheap to try a few openings. If nothing clicks after a couple of pages, switch titles. The right book usually does more than a longer lecture.
