My friend, Lisa, has a great blog and once in awhile she comes up with "Fresh Idea Fridays" where she posts a questions on her blog and anyone (including you!!) can share ideas and comments. Just recently, she asked for ideas about when, how, where and what you read to your children. I actually am going to pose the same question to anyone reading my blog because "reading time" has become a very frustrating part of the day for me recently and I don't know what I should change, if anything, or if we should just keep doing what we're doing in hopes that eventually things will change. Here's my dilemma.... My frustration all started a few months ago when I signed the boys up for a story time at the library. Well, after missing 3 in a row due to sickness, I canceled the class and figured I could do just as good of a job at home (how hard is it to read for 1/2 hour right??!!). So I specifically started trying to have a short time (20 min or so) after breakfast that I would just sit on the sofa and they could each pick out a few books for me to read to them. In my mind, it seemed like the picture-perfect, cuddly, snuggle time with my boys that I feel like all of the rest of you have with your children!
Well let me tell you, this time has become my nemesis. Without boring you all to tears, which hopefully I haven't already!, here are some the biggest issues:
~Caleb gets easily bored with books Noah likes and even if he sits there with me, he starts talking about anything else he can think of and is obviously not listening
~Noah has no patience for Caleb's books and so he just gets down and starts handing me all of his books while I'm trying to read to Caleb
~Caleb is a very passive reader, i.e. he loves to just sit with me and have me read to him
~Noah is a very active reader, i.e. he wants to touch every single book and would rather point things out than have me actually read it, so even when I try to read to him he usually likes to take the book back and page through it pointing to things he wants me to tell him about
So seriously, our reading time has become so frustrating to me and I'm just wanting to hear from any of you moms that have any advice for me. It seems to me that so many of you spend so much time reading to your kids (which we do read to the boys individually at other times like before bed and I read to Caleb sometimes before Noah wakes up from his nap) but are your children of all different ages always right there paying attention and if so - how did that happen? Did you ever enforce the sitting and paying attention issue? I do think that sitting skills are important for kids to learn, but for example in Noah's case, to me it seems more like he is just a very active learner and I don't want to stifle that either. I also feel like it's unfair to make them sit and listen to books that are either too young or too old for them.
I completely agree that reading is important and I would love to just spend lots of time reading to/with them....but how????!!!! So all that being said, I guess my basic question is - how do/did you read to children of different ages, abilities, and learning preferences and can you offer me any suggestions??
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***Sorry, Lisa, I didn't really offer any good book suggestions or anything at all for your questions...maybe I'll try to pull a list of our favorites together for another post!
5 comments:
Hey Sarah, thanks for sharing your thoughts...I'm not sure I can be much help, since my boys are the same age. But here are some of my thoughts:
When the boys were Noah's age, they didn't always sit still for reading time, and we were okay with that. We would continue reading even after they climbed down and started playing with toys. I think that even though it appears that they aren't listening, they really are. And they take in more than we give them credit for. I wouldn't worry about forcing sitting and paying attention...that will come with time :)
When I babysit Kyle, our reading time consist of each one of them picking a book. Whoever picked the book gets to be the one to sit on my lap, and this helps with keeping them interested, because they all want their turn. Alternating between their picks, might help keep them interested, as they wait for their book and their chance to sit on mommy's lap. Kyle usually only sits for his book, but often stays close enough to listen and will often peek his head over the book to get a glimps.
We have the "rule" that they have to wait until the end of the page to make comments/ask questions, or else we would never get to the end of the page. That might help with Caleb talking during Noah's books. You could also help Caleb "read" a simple book to Noah.
Maybe you could make some of the longer books "special" for Caleb to pick during his bed-time/nap-time reading. This way he can think that they are saved for special "mommy (or daddy) and me time" and Noah won't have to sit through a long book.
Just some ideas! Hope they are helpful.
Lisa has some great suggestions; I'm not sure I can add too much. However, I want to encourage you to just keep on keeping on! You're doing a great thing just by showing the boys that books are great! Books are important! We love books! That message (if nothing else!) will get passed on. I agree with Lisa that you shouldn't worry too much about the sitting still issue. It WILL come in time (some kids take longer than others!). Read to Caleb and let Noah do whatever he wants as long as it is quieter and doesn't disrupt the reading. He can build with blocks, page through other books, roll around (Katie, who is 8, likes to do HANDSTANDS sometimes while I'm reading!). Believe me, even though it SEEMS like they aren't listening, they usually are! (In fact, you can test this by making comments or asking simple questions and seeing if he knows the answer.) After a Caleb book, then let Noah pick one. I think it's great that he's so interactive with the book. Ask him to wait until you're finished with each page (like Lisa suggests) then let him comment/question/point all he wants. Ask HIM questions; challenge him. While it can drive you batty, even let him ask the SAME questions over and over a hundred times. He likes predictability; he's discerning patterns; he's learning language!! One more thing: don't make it unhappy and unpleasant with a lot of rules at this point or they might feel like reading time is a drag! If reading time lasts 20 minutes and you get to read 6 books--GREAT!! If it lasts 5 minutes and then they really want to do something different...fine! Also, getting different picture books from the library makes reading more fun, too. Even let them each choose a special one to bring home. They'll be anxious to read that with you and may give it more attention. I guess that's it!
You know I only have one, but he sounds quite like Noah. Lisa and Denise gave excellent suggestions...and like with us...having that "discipline" for your day of reading time really makes it important to them...I am determined not to give it up and just grow with him. I'm sure you're doing much better than you think! Library for new books is so good I know too...hugs, abby:)
Sarah, I know I'm not a mom, but I figured I'd leave a comment anyway. I would try to make a separate time for each boy to have reading time. This would solve the problem of each of them not enjoying the book that the other one picks out. They aren't the same age, so they shouldn't be expected to like the same book or have the same attention span. I know 2 story times for you during the day might be hard, but maybe it will work. :)
Instead of repeating what the other girls shared, I'll just encourage you to keep at it! I remember having days when I felt like I was reading to myself! But even when they are playing, they are listening. And before you know it they will actually enjoy sitting and listening for longer periods of time.
Thanks for sharing!
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