Schedule a regular reading time every day. Spend half of the time reading aloud with the boy. For the rest of the time, sit together and read independently. Engage him in conversation about what was just read to help strengthen his comprehension skills.
Make reading material accessible and interesting. Scatter interesting reading material around the house. Include a variety of books, newspapers and magazines. Place the material in the bathroom, bedrooms, family rooms, kitchen, car and other prominent locations. Focus on material that he will be interested in. A boy who is interested in sports may be interested in books about his favorite sport, articles about his favorite athlete or a list of tips to improve his own athletic performance.
Promote reading in other activities. Have him read the menu by himself. Ask him questions about road signs, instruction manuals, food labels and other written material to encourage him to read.
Listen to him read aloud to discover hidden reading problems. Does he struggle to read the words and letters in a proper order? Does he know basic sight words? Can he sound words out properly? Review and build the skills that he struggles with. If special help from a teacher, tutor or physician is necessary, arrange for that assistance.
Play games that involve significant amounts of reading to help him build skills while having fun.
Visit the library regularly. Help him find material he is interested in and participate in any relevant library activities. Help him select worthwhile material. Avoid picture books, for example.
Control his access to video games and other non-educational activities by enforcing time limits. Consider offering additional time for measurable reading improvement.
Monitor and reward progress. Set an overall goal and smaller milestone goals. Celebrate each milestone goal. Develop a plan for a large reward when the overall goal is complete.