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Elizabeth from Pennsylvania asks about a ...
Homework Battles: Surviving and Thriving
"Our 4th grade son is supposed
to read everyday as part of his
homework. He's an active kid,
loves sports of all kinds, and
getting him to sit and read a book
is a real challenge. Any suggestions? "
I feel your pain, Elizabeth! I suspect that many of my students would prefer to be in PE than in reading class, but I try to make each session lively, fast moving, and geared for action-packed kids. Here are some tricks that have worked for me and would be easy to implement at home.
- Be flexible about the amount of time you ask him to read in one sitting. I usually start with 10 minutes at a time. Ten minutes is over fast, and he will feel successful with a minimum of sitting. If his teacher requires 30 minutes a day, spread the sessions out, such as one before dinner, one after dinner, and one before bed or after breakfast in the morning. After a couple of weeks you can move this to two 15 minute sessions if you want to. Just always remember to keep them short and sweet.
- Active kids are often encouraged by a reward of some kind to work for. One mom I know rewards her son with 2 minutes of "screen time" for every page he reads. Think of an incentive your son might enjoy working for. You can use number of pages read, or number of minutes read as the measure, and post a chart showing his progress toward the goal for an extra incentive.
- Active kids enjoy action-packed books. You mentioned that your son loves sports, and the many books by Matt Christopher are big favorites with my students. Another favorite is the the Alexis Series of books by Anthony Horowitz . Our resource page has more sports book suggestions, and we're always adding new ones, so I think you're sure to find some great books your son will enjoy.
