I'd be concerned that giving rewards for reading might backfire; I've been impressed by the research showing that offering people a reward for doing something makes them less likely to do it voluntarily than they would have been if you had never offered a reward. Two things we did might be relevant (or might not; he was younger, and he was never reluctant to read):
- DS's reading books were only for him to read. Nobody ever read one to him.
- Reading to himself was the one thing he was allowed to do after bedtime, other than go to sleep!
This is kind of what we do. We read to DD every day. My DH is always reading a chapter book to her and her favorite books of poetry at night. And, he always gets her to read one book to him before bed. I don't know how he does it, but she always reads him one book so willingly. (maybe because he is not the one teaching her.)
During the day I read picture books to her. I also have a stack of books that are at her instructional level next to my bed. When we are being lazy, I'll pick up one of them, hold the page above our heads and slowly read the text while running my finger under the words. Usually, after a page or two of this she is reading along. Then, she just starts reading. (I like the meaty readers with a lot of text on each page and less pictures for this activity.) I explain new words, etc.
Books that are right at her level go in a basked next to her bed. She reads every now and then to herself throughout the day. But, we also give her free reading time before lights out. She can read ten books before calling it quits. I keep easier books in the basket, too. I just want her to read, you know. Oh, and BOB books and the like are boring. DD only ever wanted to read through them once.
