DETROIT – "No, honey. Fifteen minutes, that's all the reading you're allowed to do today." At least that's what you tell them to hook them in.
But wait, there's more!
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This is a global world and even elementary school children need to be prepped to compete. But summer's here and kids want to have fun, but all fun and no work creates something called, the Summer Slide.
Children actually lose ground if they don't keep up their study stamina.
Maggie McGuire, vice president of Scholastic Parent and Kids Online says, get kids reading every day, but work up their stamina so they don't feel plowed under.
Start them at fifteen minutes a day.
Get them to increase that reading to twenty minutes and then thirty minutes a day and then even more.
But get them reading.
It's like going to the gym. You need to build up stamina.
Reading doesn't have to be drudgery.
Let the child pick what they want to read. A magazine article, a fun short novel, the newspaper. Engage them and read with them.
Also important, let them see you reading.
Start their daily reading in small increments and then get them excited about what they're reading and get them to increase their time by encouraging them not demanding it. By the time they get to school they'll already be ahead of the game.
There are some great resources for parents with some cool ideas to get kids engaged.
In fact, kids and parents can even sign up for a summer challenge!
Here are two great links to get you started:
I would like to know what cool things your kids are reading. Send me an email at paulat@wdiv explaining what cool things you've discovered in the land of reading.
My all time favorite books:
Animal Farm by George Orwell.
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck.
Wild Seed by Octavia Butler
And anything Shakespeare.
What are yours?