Read Around the House* – Part Two: The Bedroom
This is part two of an occasional series of tips for making reading a part of your child’s daily routine. If you incorporate all of the tips into your family lifestyle, your child will not be able to imagine a life without reading.
Reading in bed is a time-honored way to unwind at the end of a long day. Make it a part of your child’s life. You may read a story to your child at night, allow your child time to read independently, or use both techniques.
My parents raised readers with a simple rule: bedtime was at 8:30, but we could read in bed until 9:00. As my siblings and I grew up, bedtime grew later, and the rule extended to the thrilling “you can stay up as late as you want, so long as you’re reading.” I took full advantage of this rule when I devoured Gone with the Wind in junior high.
If your children share a room, the older child might like to stake out a quiet corner of the house for nighttime reading.
Reading at night works wonderfully well—unless you allowed your child to have a TV in the bedroom. You may want to reconsider that decision.
*Does your child’s teacher assign a nightly requirement for reading? Use these tips to incorporate reading seamlessly into your daily routine. It can really help if your child is not the drop-everything-and-read type.