Tips for Finding Time to Read

School, friends, sports, homework, TV, chores and family obligations all compete for your child’s time. You may wonder how you can fit reading into the few hours that you have together. Here are some suggestions that may help:

• Read and Ride.  Use drive time to achieve reading goals by keeping a few of their favorite books in the car and encourage them to read while riding.

• Pack a Book.  When you are going someplace with your children where there might be a wait, i.e. doctor’s office or airport, bring along a book for them to read.

• Anything and Everything.  Encourage your children to read anything—newspapers, magazines, comic books, closed captioning on the TV, the backs of cereal boxes and more. Get creative. Any time they’re reading, they are reinforcing their skills and building their vocabulary.

• Better Than TV.  Have your children record the amount of time they spend watching TV vs. the time they spend reading throughout the day and reward them if reading time exceeds TV time.