Making Time for Reading

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Making Time for Reading

• Strategies for Weaving Reading into the Fabric of
  Our Busy Lives Every Day

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• It helps to have one or preferably a few
  predictable times every day when we read so that
  it becomes a routine, a habit.
• in the morning
• right before or after doing homework
• just before or just after dinner
• after practice
• before bed

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• Sometimes it helps NOT to save reading for last,
  when we are tired and might fall asleep.

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• We can create our own reading schedule or
  calendar, and plan out the times were going to
  read in advance.

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• Before we read, we can look over the chapters and
  plan our progress through a book. "If I read
  three chapters a day, I'll be done by Sunday," we
  can say and aim for that.

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• If we're in the habit of just reading little bits
  of a book at one sitting, we can set goals for
  how far to read each time. Mark a place in the
  book and try to read up to that point before
  taking a break.

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• Ask our family to help us make time for reading.

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• Plan a Family Reading Time every day in which
  everyone in the family gets together to read
  their books in the same room.

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• Read while we're waiting...
• ...in the waiting room at the dentist or
  doctor's office.
• at our sisters soccer practice.
• ...for the bus.
• ...for our cookies to finish baking.

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• When weve got some free time and were deciding
  what to do, we can remind ourselves how much fun
  and how important reading is. Then we can make it
  a priority, choosing to read instead of watching
  television or playing videogames or going on the
  computer.

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• Read when we're going to places.
• in the car
• on the bus
• on the train
• in an airplane

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• Use reading as a way to take a break from some
  other activity.

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• Read the same books as other people, preferably
  at the same time. Often we are motivated to read
  more when we know we will have a chance to talk
  about our thoughts with someone else who is
  reading the same books.

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• Find a way to put extra books in places where we
  may need them just in case (the car, and
  Grandma's house, etc.).

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• Make this our 1 priority
• To search hard to find books we love,
• To keep lists of books were hoping to read,
• To gather up the books in advance and stack them
  in a handy place.
• When we love the books we're reading, we will be
  more likely to make time to keep reading them.

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• Create a "book sack" and bring our books and
  reading materials with us
• everywhere we go.