The Importance For Teenagers Of Reading The Classics

Many adolescents show their reluctance to read books and especially the works of the great classics. Cervantes, Shakespeare, Calderon de la Barca or Moliere are great unknown to today’s youth day. Most are not interested in them or simply confess that they are boring.

Adolescents openly acknowledge that they are often not interested in reading the classics. The reasons are usually that they do not correspond to your tastes or interests. They also find it difficult to read them due to their reading comprehension. Added to this, they have a bad reputation because it is assumed that they are boring and uninteresting books. They are considered compulsory readings imposed by the teacher or by the educational stage.

Reading in adolescence

This is coupled with the fact that by the age of 12 or 13 many adolescents lose interest in reading. Although they have been great readers of children, many adolescents give up reading. Their world is changing and they have many different interests such as sports, television or video games. They no longer have time for a type of reading that requires attention and concentration.

When young people have to read the compulsory readings of this stage, they often have reading comprehension problems with classical texts. They are usually dense works with a more complex vocabulary than they have previously read. Typically, these readings arouse little interest and they think they are going to be boring before trying.

The works of the classics are a problem for adolescents due to the complexity of the texts. This collides with his lack of reading skills. It is difficult for children who do not read frequently to be able to face these texts. They will surely prefer to start with more current and easier to understand books such as the Harry Potter books, The Lord of the Rings or the  Hunger Games .

Tips to bring you closer to the classics

Our first advice is not to burden your children with reading. It must always be an illusion, never an obligation. Whether they are children or adolescents, they should never be forced to read. You have to try to get them interested in reading and gradually get hooked. Books currently compete with television, video games or tablets in the entertainment of children and young people.

In order for them to read the classics, they must have an interest in reading but also a good reading comprehension. See if they can handle the required reading.

A good idea is to look for works by classical authors that we are sure you will like for first readings, such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes adventures.

Once you have enjoyed these readings, you can try looking for other more complex titles that you can read easily. You can search and make a list with the books that they may like after this reading experience. For example, if you love adventure, you will surely enjoy Jules Verne’s.

Don’t overwhelm readers

The first thing is to respect their tastes or interests. It is very difficult for them to get hooked on reading if they are not interested in the least. A good idea is to recommend a relaxed pace of reading to young readers. It is important so that they do not get overwhelmed. They have to know that they can stop reading whenever they want and try another classic if they didn’t like that one.

If they liked the book, they will surely recommend reading it to their friends. This is one of the best ways to spread reading among young people. You have to make sure they feel interested in learning about new books that peers their age like.

Another good idea to encourage their reading is to explain the content of the book to them in an attractive way. You have to remove that air of seriousness so that young readers are attracted to the classics.

Once they get hooked on this type of reading, we will surely have gotten a new reader. The classics at the end are an inexhaustible source of readings. Teenagers who read classics discover texts loaded with values ​​and adventures. Do not hesitate and encourage your teenage children to start reading the classics.