Every school is guilty of assigning 30 minutes of reading for homework every night and when parents ask “How can they help their child at home?” the answer from the teacher, school, or district is usually “Have them read.” The problem is we, the certified educators, don’t say how.
Are you ready to make a change so your child reads for 30, 45, 60 minutes a night every night even on the weekends? If so, start with these simple steps.
1. Become a reader yourself. Have a book or books you are interested in and are currently reading. Share with your child your reading interests and discuss what you have read with them. Let them know adults read every night as well.
2. Just like a Family game night, create a family reading night where everyone (Mom, Dad, Nana, Big Brother…anyone who lives in the house) stops their life to read. It can be reading as a whole family, individuals or in pairs. Doesn’t really matter as long as you are all reading. Increase it from 1 day a week to 2, 3, or 7 days a week.
3. Take your child to the public library. Create a culture of “this is what we do on Thursday Nights in the Smith family…” Get them excited about going and make it a tradition.
When I was growing up I remember going two places during the summer months, our Public Library and the Public Swimming Pool. My parents/grandparents made me read 30 minutes for every 60 minutes in the pool. I plowed through books due to this simple intervention. If you want your child to build their habits and skills ask yourself first “Are we creating the environment that fosters a reader, a thinker, a child with high character?”
Daniel Zoller- Principal
- How do you make a child read who doesn’t have a love of reading yet?
- How do you ask a child to read for 30 minutes a night with the interactive life we all live in with 100s of television channels, access to computers, tablets, and smart phones, as well as a gaming community that can be all consuming and is constantly vying for our attention?
- How do you have your child read for 30 minutes nightly when no one else in the family does?
Are you ready to make a change so your child reads for 30, 45, 60 minutes a night every night even on the weekends? If so, start with these simple steps.
1. Become a reader yourself. Have a book or books you are interested in and are currently reading. Share with your child your reading interests and discuss what you have read with them. Let them know adults read every night as well.
2. Just like a Family game night, create a family reading night where everyone (Mom, Dad, Nana, Big Brother…anyone who lives in the house) stops their life to read. It can be reading as a whole family, individuals or in pairs. Doesn’t really matter as long as you are all reading. Increase it from 1 day a week to 2, 3, or 7 days a week.
3. Take your child to the public library. Create a culture of “this is what we do on Thursday Nights in the Smith family…” Get them excited about going and make it a tradition.
When I was growing up I remember going two places during the summer months, our Public Library and the Public Swimming Pool. My parents/grandparents made me read 30 minutes for every 60 minutes in the pool. I plowed through books due to this simple intervention. If you want your child to build their habits and skills ask yourself first “Are we creating the environment that fosters a reader, a thinker, a child with high character?”
Daniel Zoller- Principal