Who doesn’t love a good book, right? Well that’s a no for more people than we might think! So I compared my childhood school days with my children’s along with stories of parents and their children I know to find out if they read for enjoyment or necessity. As memory serves me, elementary reading to me as a child was a task. I didn’t love to read and I didn’t hate it but the more I read it became analytical. I was a decent student when I applied myself but I didn’t beg for books to read for a hobby and I certainly didn’t request them for a gift. When I did read I understood, I didn’t struggle with motivation, comprehension, and logic so that’s commendable. I do remember as I approached my late teens I was interested but intimidated with libraries. Early adolescent years I didn’t go to libraries unless I was in school so venturing into a library independently was foreign with a strange feeling of unwelcome. When I overcame the fear and gained comfortability I looked forward to exploring what types of books I would enjoy reading for pleasure and not task. As an adult I pushed myself to read books I wouldn’t choose but that would stimulate my brain intellectually. And when I did, I had a dictionary handy and it took me a lot longer to finish the book but the elation was outright. As for my four children, I thoroughly enjoyed reading to them, I looked forward to bath time, story time, prayer and bedtime in that order and they loved it too. Each kid acknowledging the routine in their perspectives. One enjoyed the maternal aspect, one enjoying more time awake, one enjoying how many stories they could get me to read each night and one enjoying the art of reading. And I believe bedtime story telling is a baseline to your child’s education path later. #airquotes (my 1st born finds my air quotes repulsive) lol. Then there’s the conversation with other parents in regards to whether they enjoy reading and if their kids like to read, and I’m told by the parents, “I read so much for work that I don’t enjoy pleasure reading” or “that they had to read so much in college that pleasure reading isn’t their 1st choice as a hobby”. Most of the children I have spoken with enjoy pleasure reading for the most part as long as it’s not boring to them.
We all know that reading is fundamental, necessary and can barely get through life without little to advanced skills in reading so I googled some tips on how to focus on reading boring text:
1. Focus on the Motivation For Reading.
2. Understand What You Need to Get Out Of The Reading.
3. Set Small Targets to Get Started.
4. Use Interval Reading Timers.
5. Reward Yourself After Successful Reading Sessions.
6. Take Regular Breaks.
I hope these tips help to get your journey to reading started, pleasurable or intellectual.
T.
