My daughter is in the third grade this year. Normally that’s a ho-hum age, academically, but this year, our state has the Third Grade Reading guarantee, where, if students don’t pass the reading portion of the third-grade standardized test, they have to repeat third grade.
Luckily, I have little doubts about my daughter’s ability to pass. She is brilliant, and I’m not just saying that because I’m her mama! I’ve got proof! I’ve got report cards! Receipts! LOL
My son is in first grade and while he is great at reading, he doesn’t want to read. Every once in a while, I’ll hand him a book and he’ll breeze through it, looking bored. So you know what I’ve been doing?
1. Keep books in the car.
Even if you have a reluctant reader in your family, if you have at least one child who knows how to read and is good at it, your problem is solved! My daughter loves to read and will digest chapter books in a matter of minutes if you let her. My son on the other hand doesn’t like sitting still long enough to read. But in the car, they’re stuck there anyway, so reading works. She reads to him every day on the way to school and on the way home. When we’re going to my parents’ house (a 45-minute drive), they read on the way there. It’s easy and so far, it’s fun for them.
I ask them questions about the books and it’s a good way to get them to understand plot and story structure and test their comprehension skills. Plus, if you get your books from the library, you don’t have to look for them when they’re due. They’re just in the car!