Reading Time with Daddy

One thing the kids rarely ever see me doing at home is sitting down and reading a book. When you stop and think about it, it’s actually really bad given that we make sure that they all read pretty much every day and then we have to complete their school reading diaries to show what they have actually read. We always struggle to get them to knuckle down and read and then when they eventually do, I think they spend more time clock watching to see if their 15 mins (minimum we make them read) is finished.

It never really occurred to me that the boys would be more motivated to read if I actually sat down with my own book and read at the same time as them – lead by example!. I’ve never done this simply because my job pretty much involves reading all day long, albeit on a computer screen and so the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit down and pick up a book. However Tina bought me Eddie Hall’s new book for Xmas and as I started reading it the two boys were not only surprised to see me sitting down reading, but Joshua asked if he could do his reading when I do mine. This seems to work a treat and for the last few days Joshua has been asking if he can do his reading with me. This is win-win as I have been enjoying relaxing with a book and Joshua is getting his homework done with a bit less complaining than normal.

So I guess it looks like I need to start stocking up on more books that I can read at home.

Reading time with Josh and Me.