From a Mom’s Point of View: Make Reading a Habit

Join us every week this summer for ideas on how to make sure your child is learning all summer long. Join us in beating the summer reading loss.

My proudest accomplishment is certainly my two children. My youngest will be starting kindergarten this fall and the oldest second grade. Even though I have been a teacher and am now an administrator in the Malden Public Schools, I often struggle to make sure my kids are reading every night. My number one tip is just make it a habit in your family, just like brushing your teeth, that you read every day for 30 minutes.

I tell my kids often, “I have three jobs in life. My job is to make sure you grow up to be healthy, safe, and smart. I make sure you get out, play and move so your body is healthy. I make sure you eat the right foods. I watch you everywhere you go to make sure you are safe. And, the only way, I know to make you smart is to read to you and with you.” I have said it so many times that they have actually started to believe it. My youngest proudly recently stated after we read for the night, “I just got smart.”

I stop whatever I am doing when it comes to reading to my kids. I don’t check my email, talk on the phone, or try to get things done around the house. All of my attention is on my kids and enjoying books together. It becomes a special family time that I actually look forward to every night.

Let’s face it, but life can get hectic. When there is literally no time to read because of baseball practice, a game or any of a million things going on, I read for 10 minutes instead of the usual 30 minutes. They don’t need to know it was only 10 minutes. Again, I am developing the habit that we read every day for pleasure.

On nights I can’t find those precious 10 minutes, I make a mental note and make sure I make up the time another day in the week or on the weekend. That day, we may read in the morning and then again at night.

Even though my oldest is now an avid reader, there are nights he is just tired and just doesn’t want to read. I don’t bother arguing trying to get him to read. I read to him and let him listen to me read. Again, my goal is to make the time we read about enjoying the time together and developing the habit.  

We also read everywhere. I take books with me. The kids read in the car. When we are on vacation or visiting family, we read every night.

We try to visit the once a week. It is part of our Saturday morning routines. We read a little bit at the library before we rush off again trying to get the shopping, laundry, and the million other errands that need to be done.

Like the first times we try to train the kids to do anything, there are good days and not so good days. Persevere! Over time, and many of my speeches about the importance of reading, it has slowly become a habit in my household. It can in yours too.

By Margaret Adams, Director of Language and Literacy for the Malden Public Schools. The Malden Public Schools summer reading lists and forms can be found on each school’s websites or at http://its.malden.mec.edu/sm/SummerReading.cfm.