Motivating your child to read isn’t always easy, especially if she’s a hesitant or non-fluent reader. The key to getting your child interested in reading is finding a way to make reading more interesting. There are a number of ways to get kids reading so that it doesn't feel like a chore.

1. Take turns reading.
This technique, known as shared reading or paired reading, takes some of the pressure of your child to perform.

Basically, it’s a matter of picking a book that interests your child, sitting down together and taking turns reading the book together.

How much each of you reads depends on where your child is in the learning to read process. You can start as simply as “you read a sentence, I’ll read a sentence,” and as your child gets more comfortable move toward alternating paragraphs, pages and, eventually, chapters.

2. Start a book club.
You don’t have to be Oprah to know a good book when you see it, and you don’t have get the whole nation involved in your book club, either. Have your child choose a few of her friends and touch base with their parents to create a parent-child book club.

Every month let a different child choose the book you’re going to read, ask both the children and one of their parents to read it and then have a small gathering to sit down to discuss what you all liked or disliked about the book.

3. Find a character and series she can love.
If your child finds a character (or characters) she feels like she can understand, she’s more likely to keep reading.

That’s why series like Junie B. Jones, The Boxcar Children, Captain Underpants, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Magic Treehouse books are so popular--they all have characters whose flaws and traits remind kids of themselves. Best of all, if you find a series that your child likes, there’s a whole set of books to keep her reading.

4. Don’t forget about non-fiction.
A lot of parents make the mistake of thinking that to get their child reading, they need to find interesting fiction, but non-fiction is often the best way to get your child reading. Your child probably has interests and passions that can be explored through age-appropriate non-fiction books.

All you have to do is go to the library together and check the shelves. One good book to start with, especially if your child doesn’t have one specific passion, is the Guinness Book of World Records. It has short, interesting entries that can lead off to more research.

5. Let her watch the movie first.
It may go against your instincts to let your child watch a movie based on a book before she’s read the book, but if the movie is good, it’s actually a good way to get her interested in reading the book.

Don’t forget about movies based on comic books or graphic novels--if your child is a reluctant reader, reading a comic book is much better than reading nothing at all.

6. Make her read the book first.
If you’re really opposed to letting your child see a movie based on a book she hasn’t read, then make it a contingency that she has to read the book first. Of course, you probably should let her know that it’s a standing policy--it will give her a head start to find a book once she knows a new movie will be coming out.

7. Explore different types of reading.
Books aren't the only thing your child can practice her reading skills on. There are also less daunting reading materials out there like magazines, joke books, newspapers and even kid-friendly websites.

In fact, even game websites that aren't specifically devoted to literacy activities can help your child practice reading skills because she’ll have to read the directions to figure out how to play!