A couple months ago I invited you to join me in a30-minute reading challenge because when Charlie was in public school this is how long they wanted him to read every day of the week.
I know 30 minutes may not sound like a lot of time to read a book but as a busy mom, wife and business owner there were days we didn’t have 30 extra minutes to sit down and read a book.
If your family is like mine sometimes you don’t need another activity. You don’t need another worksheet. You don’t need another screen. Sometimes you just need to sit. Why not when sitting down you take ten minutes and read something. That’s it.
Welcome to the 10-Minute Reading Challenge here at GreatfulMoments.com instead of the 30 minute challenge that was even to hard for me sometimes. And before somebody tells me that ten minutes isn’t enough time to read, let me stop you right there. Ten minutes is better than zero minutes.
This challenge is different in what you can read. It’s up to you and it can be pretty much anything. For children, reading doesn’t have to mean sitting perfectly still in a chair with a chapter book in their lap.
They can read:
- A physical book
- A magazine
- A comic book
- A recipe
- The directions on the back of a package
- A cereal box
- A game manual
- Instructions for putting something together
- A favorite story they’ve already read a hundred times
- Something on a Kindle or tablet
If they’re reading, they’re reading. And that’s what we’re trying to encourage. Ten minutes gives a child a chance to sit down, slow their brain down, and regroup. It gives them time to themselves.
They can do it in the living room or they can sit on the porch. They can curl up in their bed or they can sit underneath a tree. They can even take their book outside and find a quiet spot. There doesn’t have to be one “right” way to do it.
This 10 Minute Reading Challenge isn’t just for kids. Adults, I’m talking to you, too. Give yourself ten minutes. Sit down. Put everything else aside. And read something you actually want to read. No, you don’t have to read out loud.
And yes, reading on a Kindle or tablet counts. If you’re reading, you’re reading. Ten minutes of reading each day can be a tiny pocket of quiet in an otherwise very busy day. And goodness knows, sometimes we need that.
Today, I’m going to take my own ten minutes and pick up my Danielle Steel book, Wedding. Now, I’m going to be honest with you. I’m still struggling with this one. Parts of it have been a little confusing to me, and I’ve found myself putting it down and picking it back up.
Actually, I have about four or five Danielle Steel books that I’ve started and stopped. But you know what? I’m not putting this one down until I finish it. I’m going to put one foot in front of the other and get’er done.
Sometimes that’s what reading looks like. It isn’t always getting completely lost in a book for three hours. Sometimes it’s picking up the same book again and saying, Okay. Let’s try this again. And that’s perfectly fine.
So here’s today’s challenge: Find something to read and give it ten minutes. That’s all. You don’t have to finish a chapter. You don’t have to finish a book. You don’t have to take notes. You don’t have to answer questions. You don’t even have to tell anybody what you read.
Just sit down. Take a breath. Read for ten minutes. And then see how you feel. Maybe you’ll stop after ten minutes. Or maybe, like me, you’ll discover that ten minutes turned into twenty… and twenty turned into thirty.
But if you only read for ten minutes? You still won. Because ten minutes of reading is ten minutes you gave yourself — or your child — to slow down, regroup, and let the world be quiet for a little while.
Well, Buttercup… grab your book. Your ten minutes starts today.
Grateful, Thankful, Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
