get caught reading

Our family reads a lot. Our home is set to bursting with books. In addition to the full bookcases and overflowing bookshelves that are the centerpiece of every room in the house, piles of books have insinuated themselves onto almost every surface. Truthfully, books are my leading home accessory.

John and I each read to a boy every day; and each of the boys reads to us every day. Still, I have yet to see either boys pick up a chapter book and read independently. Granted, Winston is young (6.5), and for that matter, Simon is still technically an emerging reader. But, the boys attend a snooty [public] school [please read that with a modicum of sarcasm] where average or at-age-level is considered an underachievement. And, they're boys, who, well-funded studies show, come to reading slower than girls do. We've looked at physical factors—there's no dyslexia (we're watching since there is a strong family history) and vision is good. What next?

With the goal of strengthening my third grader's reading skills, I did a little online research. Interestingly, almost all of the first page of Google hits referred to this list of ten ways to improve reading. Without even clicking on the link, you'll know what I'm talking about. I'm sure you've seen this list on a pamphlet at ECFE or comparable parent education classes. It's on bookmarks at the library and on posters at the pediatrician's office.


John and I are already doing all the things we apparently should be doing, per the list, that is. All but one—have family reading time. So over the weekend, we introduced a new family activity—fifteen minutes of independent reading. We each selected a book and took up a spot on the sofa or in cozy chairs in our living room. (Top, Simon chose an anthology, True Sea Stories. Above, John is reading Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer, a biography by music journalist Chris Salewicz, while Winston tucks into Slinky Scaly Snakes.)

For my money, fifteen minutes isn't enough reading time, for me, mostly because my fantasy revolves around a twenty-four or more hours of uninterrupted reading. The time and place was perfect for the boys, though, and both enjoyed sharing what they had read when our time was done. I don't think it will be long before this habit stretches into a longer chunk of time. Until such time, I vow to be patient and encouraging.