New Year, New Books

We start out every year saying we're going to read more. Then one thing leads to another and we find another year has gone by and we never finished that book we started in January. In this blog we are going to talk about how to make reading a part of your family’s New Year resolution, and why you should. 

Start by setting a goal and pick the number of books you want to read in 2023. This can be done two ways. You can set a goal for the whole family, say 50 books. Every book read, regardless of who reads it, gets added to your count. Or you can pick a number for each person, let's say 10. Everyone must read 10 books on their reading level, and each book read is added to that readers yearly count.  Make sure to pick a number the whole family feels good with. 

Regardless of how you break down your goals, the next thing you want to do is make a poster to keep track of everyone’s reading throughout the year. Keep it somewhere you will see it everyday, perhaps on the kitchen fridge. Use fun stickers, or markers to tick off the books as you read them. 

Every goal deserves a reward. Pick a reward at the same time you pick your goal. This gives everyone something to work towards. A reward can be your favorite meal, going to the movies, or a weekend camping trip. Make sure it is something you are excited for. We suggest picking both personal rewards and a family reward. This encourages everyone to keep reading and to work together as a family.

Now this might seem like a lot of work. Parents, you might be thinking “I don’t need to improve my reading skills! I’m done with school! Why do I have to read too?” Well, the simple answer is that kids copy what they see. If they see you reading and being excited about reading, they will want to do the same. Plus setting goals that you are all working towards help keep kids motivated as they are now a part of a team and not just going at it alone. You can also use this as a chance to interact more as a family. You could form a family “book club”. Set aside time for everyone to share things about the books they are reading. The dinner table can be a great place for your book club to meet. Now, go on out there and start reading!