Alice Ozma reminds us of the importance of reading with our children. At the age of 9, the author’s school librarian father made a promise to read to his daughter every day for 100 days. After achieving that goal and celebrating, the duo continues to read together for 3,218 days until Alice leaves for college. Her book is a fascinating story of reading together interwoven with stories of her life.
After reading the book, my family decided to take the author’s challenge to start our own “Reading Streak.” We found a wall calendar to designate for keeping track of days and started immediately. With the promise of a treat if we read together 100 consecutive days, the kids are quick to remind us that we must read every day. A missed day means we have to start over again. The benefits of reading to the kids daily were immediately apparent. Even in this fast paced world, children need us to give them our complete attention and to answer their questions without glancing at the email. It is amazing the discussions that result from reading to our kids. The biggest benefit was improved behavior in our 7 year old. We didn’t realize how much he needed positive attention.
If you are a bit overwhelmed at the thought of finding enough reading material, here are a few places to start:
1. Your local childrens' librarian. There is no need to rush out and buy books. The librarians are very happy to get your started and send you home with a stack of age appropriate books from the local public library.
2. Consult books such as Jim Trelease’s “The Read-Aloud Handbook.” Many libraries have online systems which allow the users to reserve books. If you choose this option, your local library can have your stack of books waiting for you on a designated shelf.
3. Refer to “The Core Knowledge Series” books which publish a title for each grade. The books suggest areas your child should be covering in his or her education. You can always sneak in some books to reinforce school subjects and your kids won’t suspect a thing if you find the right books.
4. Consult online lists for reading suggestions. Caldecott winners are almost always good choices or here is a list compiled by Read Aloud America. The Classical Christian Education Support Loop has a wonderful list of 1000 books that includes many of the classics.
Are you ready to start a “Reading Streak” with your family? We are over half way through our first streak and I hope this is a tradition that will continue for many years.
