By Kitty Felde
There’s some comfort in knowing that most parents want their children to develop a love of reading. In fact, a recent poll found that 98% of respondents said they aspire to be a reading nation. The problem is that we’re too busy to pick up a book ourselves.
That poll from NPR and Ipsos says only about half of us found the time to read a book last month. So how do we expect our kids to become readers?
Here are a few tips to carve out time for reading for ourselves and our children:
- Put it on the calendar. Designate 20 minutes as Reading Time. This could be at the breakfast table or just before dinner. Everybody must bring something to read while they eat.
- Listen to an audio book together in the car. This could be during carpool or out running errands. Audio books during bathtime are also an option.
- Read aloud to your children at bedtime. Stop at a critical moment in the plot. Pretend you don’t see them reading under the covers.
- Create a reading nook. It could be as simple as piling pillows in a corner or building a fort out of a blanket draped over chairs.
- We always seem to have time to scroll through videos on our phones. Announce a new rule: no screen time or gaming devices until after reading time.
We’re all busy people. Be creative about carving out just a few minutes a day to create that next generation of readers.
Kitty Felde is host of the Book Club for Kids podcast and author of the just-released children’s book “Snake in the Grass: a Fina Mendoza Mystery” set during the Congressional Baseball Game.