Five-Minute Reading Break

 

Here's an easy tip that can be especially handy during the long, long, long days of summer break.  It's the Five Minute Reading Break.

The idea is simple:  when you and your kids are at home, take a five-minute break each hour and read.  You can have the kids read where they are -- in the kitchen or living room -- or they can retire to their bedrooms for a brief break.

These five minutes are meant to help the kids relax and unwind.    It's also meant to give you a break every so often. 

And the break is only five minutes, so the kids will still feel that they're getting plenty of time to play and do fun summer activities.

Every morning, each kid can select a book from your family's shelves.  This can be the book "they're working on" throughout the day. If it's a picture book, and the child finishes it before the day is done, then have them re-read it and look for new, interesting, and previously overlooked details.

At dinner, it'd be great for your family to each discuss the books that were read during the day.  If you have a book that you're working on, discuss the interesting, kid-friendly aspects of that, too.

Under no circumstances should this seem like a punishment!  We want kids to be pleased with reading, not punished by it!  The reading break, therefore, shouldn't be presented as a chore, but rather a fun, positive moment -- or at least a "regular" part of any given hour.

Reading is fun and relaxing.  Every hour!

Thank you to John-Morgan for the excellent photo above.