My family would like to welcome you to a new reading adventure we’ve created to get families reading more. Welcome to the Greatful Moments 10-Minute Reading & Activity Tickets! In the past you may have seen us mention a Greatful Moments Ticket here on the blog and wondered, “What exactly is that?” If you have, you’re in the right place.
We originally started using our tickets as part of our reading and activity challenge. But as I started thinking about all the opportunities families have to read, learn, play and spend time together, I realized the tickets could be so much more. Then we incorporated them into our Gift Guides but then I found even more ways to get children involved in reading.
So now you may see Greatful Moments Tickets throughout the blog. You might see one mentioned in a book review. You might see one in a seasonal activity. You might see one in a holiday guide. You might see one when we talk about a Kindle book, a family activity, a printable or something else that encourages you to spend a few minutes doing something together. That’s intentional.
You don’t have to have been following our challenge from the beginning. You don’t have to start on January 1. And you certainly don’t have to read every Greatful Moments post to participate. You can start today and we would be honored to have you and and your family.
What Is a Greatful Moments Ticket?
A Greatful Moments Ticket is simply a fun way to recognize 10 minutes spent reading or doing an activity. That’s it. We’re not trying to make reading complicated. We’re not trying to create another school assignment. We’re not trying to give parents another thing to keep up with. We’re simply trying to encourage families to stop for a few minutes and make those minutes count.
10 Minutes of Reading = 1 Ticket
And when we say reading, we really mean reading. It doesn’t have to be a particular book. It doesn’t have to be a certain reading level. It doesn’t have to be something an adult thinks is the perfect choice.
A child can read a:
- Book
- Comic book
- Graphic novel
- Magazine
- Newspaper
- Kindle book
- Online article
- Game guide
- Anime or manga-related book
- School assignment
- Cereal box
- Recipe
- Instruction manual
- Something they’re simply interested in
Reading is reading.
If they spend 10 minutes reading, they can earn a ticket. Maybe your child wants to sit on the couch with a book. Maybe they want to curl up in a tent. Maybe they want to sit on the front porch. Maybe they want to read outside under the moon and stars. Maybe they want to read to the dog.
Let them read. The goal isn’t to police what they’re reading. The goal is to help them discover that reading can be something they enjoy and something that belongs in their everyday lives.
Parents Need to Read, Too
This part is important. We can tell children to read all day long, but sometimes the best lesson we can give them is simply to let them see us reading. Parents can earn tickets, too. Sit down as a family and read together and even bring the pets into the reading.
Read your own book while your child reads theirs. Read a magazine. Read an article. Read the newspaper. Read something on your Kindle. Read a recipe. Read together. Read separately in the same room. Read to your child. Let your child read to you. Read to the dog. Read to the cat. And yes, if your child wants to read to the moon and the stars, that counts, too. We’re not looking for perfection. We’re looking for those little moments.
What About Activity Tickets?
Reading isn’t the only way to make a few minutes count. A 10-minute activity can also earn a ticket.
That activity might be something you find here on Greatful Moments, or it might be something your family comes up with on its own.
You could:
- Play a quick game.
- Work on a craft.
- Color together.
- Take a short walk.
- Cook or bake together.
- Work in the garden.
- Build something.
- Listen to music and dance.
- Do a holiday activity.
- Talk about something you’ve learned.
- Sit outside together.
- Do something creative.
- Or simply spend 10 minutes doing something together.
The activity doesn’t have to cost money. It doesn’t have to take an hour. It doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect. Ten minutes is enough to start.
How the Tickets Work
It’s simple: 10 minutes of reading = 1 ticket– 10 minutes of an activity = 1 ticket– 10 minutes of reading + 10 minutes of an activity = 2 tickets
And sometimes you’ll see a Greatful Moments post that gives you a specific opportunity to earn a ticket simply by participating. That’s why you may see the ticket mentioned throughout the Greatful Moments website. The tickets started with our challenge, but they’ve grown into a way for us to encourage families to read, play, learn and spend time together whenever an opportunity comes along.
What Do We Do With the Tickets?
This is where parents get to make the challenge work for their own family. There isn’t one required prize system. There isn’t one amount of money you’re supposed to spend. There isn’t one perfect reward. We encourage families to use the tickets because children can turn them into something tangible along the way.
At the end of the week, parents can choose to let their children use their tickets for a small treat or special family moment. Maybe they choose dessert. Maybe they pick the movie. Maybe they get a favorite drink. Maybe they choose the family game. Maybe Mom or Dad takes them somewhere special. Maybe the reward is simply sitting down together and doing something they enjoy.
You decide what works for your family. And remember: the weekly treat isn’t supposed to become the reason your child reads. It’s simply a little celebration along the way.
The Big Celebration Is December 31
We’re looking at this as a year-long challenge. That means you don’t have to hurry. You don’t have to earn a certain number of tickets every single day. You don’t have to feel like you’ve failed if you miss a day. Life happens. There will be busy days. There will be sick days. There will be holidays. There will be days when nobody feels like doing anything. That’s okay.
Start again tomorrow. Keep reading. Keep making memories. Keep earning those tickets when you can. Then, on December 31st, your family can celebrate everything you’ve accomplished throughout the year. Parents can choose a special end-of-year prize for their family.
Maybe it’s an experience. Maybe it’s a special outing. Maybe it’s something your child has wanted. Maybe it’s a new book. Maybe it’s a family adventure. Maybe it’s something completely different. You choose the prize. Because the prize should fit your family.
But the Prize Isn’t the Point: This is probably the most important thing I want you to remember. The prize isn’t the reason we read. The prize isn’t the reason we spend time together. The prize isn’t the reason we put down our phones for ten minutes. The prize isn’t the reason we open a book. The reading is the reason.
The family time is the reason. The conversation is the reason. The imagination is the reason. The memories are the reason. The tickets simply give us a fun little way to recognize those moments. Years from now, your child may not remember how many tickets they earned. But they may remember sitting beside you on the porch with a book.
They may remember reading to the dog. They may remember curling up under a blanket with you. They may remember the silly book that made everybody laugh. They may remember the night you all sat outside and looked at the stars. Those are the Greatful Moments we’re trying to make.
You Can Start Anytime
Maybe you’re discovering this page in January. Maybe it’s June. Maybe it’s October. Maybe you’re here because you clicked a link in one of our book reviews. Maybe you saw a ticket mentioned in one of our seasonal guides. Maybe you simply stumbled across this page. You haven’t missed your chance.
Start with ten minutes. Find something to read. Sit down together. Or let your child find their own quiet place. Read to the dog. Read to the moon. Read to the stars. Read the cereal box if that’s what they’re interested in. Just read. Then find something fun to do for ten minutes. Earn your ticket.
Do it again when you can. And let those little ten-minute moments add up throughout the year. Welcome to the Greatful Moments 10-Minute Reading & Activity Challenge. Read. Play. Make memories. Earn tickets. And on December 31st, look back and be Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed for all the little moments that became something much bigger. You don’t have to make every moment perfect. Just make a few minutes count.
GreatfulMoments.com
Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
