The ONE thing I would have your children do this summer…
As a mother and educator, I’m not surprised that children are reluctant to complete their assigned reading homework. But what is shocking to me is that children are simply not reading. At all. Period.
From what I see, most middle and high school students are getting by with online summaries for their English books, quick videos for their history lessons, or simply piecing together information from class or skimming the material. One of the most common concerns I hear from parents is that their child used to love to read, but now, they don’t read at all. This lack of reading is concerning because it hampers the development of strong comprehension skills. What I find even more alarming is that children are not reading because they cannot sit long enough to read. They do not have the patience, the interest, or the stamina.
Worrisome? Yes, it is. But summer is a great time to reintroduce your child to their love of reading. Summer is a time to rest and to try new things. This summer can be a time to try quiet reading time for extended periods of time. See below for how long I am suggesting…
Elementary: Set a time for 30 minutes
Middle School: Set a time for 45 minutes
High School: Set a time for 1 hour (High schoolers need this more than anyone!)
Have children sit in a quiet place without interruptions. There should be no phones or computers around (have them remove their Apple watch). Explain that this is reading time and that there is nothing else to look at. I recommend using a physical book rather than a Kindle or an iPad. Your children should be reading anything they find interesting… the book can be marked at a lower grade level than their grade, it can have lots of pictures, it can even be a long magazine article. The point is to have your child enjoy what they are reading.
If your child complains, encourage them to just sit without any distractions for a little while. If they say they have questions while they are reading, have them write them down. If they say they can’t do it, tell them to just stare at the ceiling and take some deep breaths.
Try it for the summer or on weekdays or every other day – just try it and keep it consistent. Don’t waiver, don’t bend. Even better, do it with them.
We need to get these minds to rest, to pause long enough to be able to take in information, to ponder, to draw conclusions, to imagine, to predict and infer. We need to help them build up the stamina to read and work in silence without anything breaking their attention.
