How much more? Start by aiming for just 15 minutes a day― every day.
Just 15 minutes a day adds up to a lot of words over the course of the year. Consider the case of a third grader reading at a typical pace for his age. Reading 15 minutes a day, in just one year, he would read about 956,000 words. That’s about
- 27 children’s books
- 14 young adult novels
- Four to six classic novels
Try it for a few weeks! Use an app such as Coach.me to create the habit of regular reading. You’ll have to discipline yourself to establish the habit. But flossing and brushing twice a day takes 8–10 minutes, and you still do it; you can find 15 minutes for reading. (When you’ve done it for a month, write to us and let us know the results.)
FOR PARENTS:
Families can help their kids by setting aside 15 minutes every day (perhaps after dinner) when everyone, parents included, reads silently from a book that he or she has chosen.
Choice is important! The books should not be assigned by the school or the parent! (See the next tip, “Read What You Love.”)
Family reading time is a good way of leading by example. If your kids see you reading, they’ll learn to value reading themselves.
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