Children too busy to read

Posted by:
Liz

Posts: 16

From:

Hampshire

Children Reading

My 2 small children (3 and 1) love books. I hope I will always be able to spend the time with them to encourage their enjoyment as they get older. It worries me when I hear stories from other parents about how much homework there is at school from an early age, which includes reading. I wonder whether they then start to view reading as something they have to do rather than something they choose to do. Another thing, is that when children do have reading time at school perhaps it would help if they are able to sit around on bean-bags or comfy setees...this might make the differentiation between hard school work and sitting enjoying a good story in comfort. Maybe some schools do this?.

Posted: 11/Dec/07 at 15:45:10

Posted by:
Snazzysarah

Posts: 6

From:
Harrow
Middlesex

Replies

Hi Liz
Our school is fantastic for 'comfy reading' with many cushions and a dedicated 'reading corner'. All my children have been sent home reading books, but have never (thankfully) viewed it as a chore although if they were overloaded I can see that it would soon become one. In fact, the school is well known for giving lots and lots of homework, however, I review it and if I think that it will feel too laborious, I customise it so they can learn and enjoy. For instance, my 10 yr old daughter had over 70 science questions to answer to have in the next day. Granted, they were short ones, but I felt she would be too worried about getting it done and miss the point of actually learning/revising them all. I answered them all (yes, I did have to go on BBC Bitesize to get some answers!!!) and then tested her on them. That way she could learn and hand the answers in. You are quite right, there is a delicate balance to be struck when homework is concerned. Does anyone else have a lot of homework? I definitely feel stressed at weekends with all three of them needing guidance with it all!

Posted: 17/Dec/07 at 17:38:35