Bottom line… YES! But do we hit the mark every night… NO!
Here are some statistics that really do show the benefit of the ACCUMULATED hours of reading.
“If daily reading begins at day one, by the time the child is five years old, he or she has been fed roughly 54,750 minutes of brain food!”(from Why Reading 30 Minutes A Day Matters)
But I think there is more to the big picture. It feels like such a chore to have them sit down for an exact amount of time and MAKE them do anything. This article below speaks to me!
“It’s always better to base your reading with them on something they have real questions about or a real interest in.” (from Do I have to? Reading 30 minutes a day to your kid.)
YES, there IS more to the bigger picture and I think getting them engaged and excited about reading is a bigger win. If they read to me about something they LOVE for 5 minutes, I am more proud than when they read something they couldn’t care less about for 30 minutes that they will NEVER remember again. Those 5 minutes are memorable and will spark conversations and further research later!
The big takeaway, in my opinion, is that teachers can’t make up the gap of individual brain connection with every student. So parents are encouraged to read to them AS MUCH AS possible to give every child EVERY chance to succeed. If they told us to only read 5 minutes every night, no one would even bother to do it. Since they are telling us 30 minutes every night, maybe they hope we will all work towards somewhere between 5 and 30 minutes every day. It is about the VALUE of reading.
“When a child learns to read, a new world opens for her. She can go anywhere, be anyone or do anything. With the huge dividends this form of learning pays, a child should be encouraged to do it as often as possible.” (from How Often Should my Child Read?)
I strongly believe KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! When a child can escape into a book and let their imagination run wild, the sky is the limit for them. They no longer see this world as limiting and anything is ATTAINABLE. That’s the world I want to create for my kids. I just have to get them to experience it, so they will continue to read later in life! Right now, my kids DON’T love to read. They are not quiet, studious children… but it’s good to have goals!
“15 minutes seems to be the “magic number” at which students start seeing substantial positive gains in reading achievement; students who read just over a half-hour to an hour per day see the greatest gains of all.” (from The magic of 15 minutes: Reading practice and reading growth)
All the research points to the fact that MORE reading, leads to more SUCCESS, better grades, college education, higher paying jobs, and more happiness.
“Reading ability has a considerable impact on both educational attainment and wider life outcomes.” (from The relationship between reading age, education and life outcomes)
“If you study successful people you will find that one of the things they all have in common is that they are all avid readers.” (from Read, Lead, Succeed! The Benefits Of Being A Daily Reader!)
“Reading books benefits both your physical and mental health, and those benefits can last a lifetime.” (from Benefits of Reading Books: How It Can Positively Affect Your Life)
So even thought we don’t read 30 minutes every night yet, I have every hope that we will someday. And I am accepting that SOME reading every night is better than none. All of the above benefits are motivation enough for me to keep trying with my own kids. While we’re not there yet, I will continue dreaming of quiet weekends when we can all cuddle on the couch and enjoy our own free reading books and then have intelligent conversations about our books!
Tell me! Do your kids read 30 minutes every night? What do they love to read? How do you motivate them? Comment below!