Why You Need Regular Reading Days
Have you ever woken up one morning and known you needed a break from the normal routine but didn’t want to take a holiday? I know I have, so let me introduce you to reading days!
Reading days are those days you bring your normal homeschool plans to a halt. Instead you and your children spend the entire day reading. It doesn’t matter if you read the books aloud, listen to audio books, or simply curl up with a favorite book to read. The point is to enjoy a day full of great literature.
Why You Need Regular Reading days
Reading Days Encourage a Love of Reading
Reading days encourage a love of reading in kids. Your children have the opportunity to lose themselves into the story without worrying about being interrupted. They can spend the afternoon exploring foreign and strange lands. I can’t think of anything that’s more pleasant than curling up with a good book on a rainy day. Give your kids the chance to fall in love with reading.
Reading Days Improve Reading Skills
Reading is a skill that improves with practice and a reading day is the time to practice reading for hours. Fluency improves. Reading speed picks up. Non-readers learn vocabulary through read-alouds and audio-books. A beginning reader has the chance to gain fluency with their few words. An advanced reader solidifies their skills. Every child in the house benefits.
Reading Days Give a Change of Pace
Everyone, even a child, needs a change of pace sometimes and reading days provide that opportunity without a holiday. Make the day special by popping popcorn, ordering pizza, or baking cookies. Stay in pajamas and curl up in blankets and sleeping bags. Encourage the kids to make reading tents or mounds of pillows to lounge upon. These days will become a special holiday for the family.
Reading Days Can be Spontaneous
Unlike field trips, reading days don’t need to be planned out in advance. You can wake up one morning and decide it’s the perfect day for a reading day. Simply announce the news at breakfast. Pull out favorite books or listen to a great audio-book for hours. After all, reading doesn’t require special equipment other than great books to read.
To be perfectly honest I’ve been known to announce a reading day when I’m in the middle of a wonderful series myself. The kids welcome the chance to spend the day reading fun books, and I don’t feel guilty. After all it’s a day to focus on developing a love of reading in children.
Does your family enjoy regular reading days?
images courtesy of pixabay
Sara Dennis is a homeschooling mother of 6 children ages 6 through 20. After much research into homeschooling in 2000, she and her husband fell in love with classical education and used it as the foundation for their homeschool. Sara Dennis blogs at Classically Homeschooling.
We have them quite frequently throughout the year since they are my fall-back routine for days that we won’t have time to do our regular school routine, or on days that we’re anticipating too much busyness later and need the peace that comes with simply sitting down with a good book. 🙂
We call them Snuggle Buggle Book Days! And it’s why we are still doing math for 2 more weeks! Ahh!
Yes! These days are the best days– a win-win for Mom & pupils. I always feel so wonderfully sneaky: Teaching by example to cherish personal reading for pleasure, that it need not be a mere chore! Great post 🙂 I wrote a similar one a while back.
I love this idea! I’ve been stuck in a rut feeling like I have to follow curriculum *exactly* and I must do a 5-day system in order to make it all work. Craziness! I would much rather my children love curling up with a good book than making sure we always take our spelling test on Friday. Thanks!
Both my husband and I enjoy audiobooks and podcasts frequently. Our son, however, is just now at the point where he consistently wants to be read to. When he\’s older, I can definitely see these types of days in our future!
Great idea. 🙂