November. In many parts of the Northern hemisphere it’s starting to get cold, wet, windy, and generally fairly uninspiring. Plus, the children are getting tired, getting colds (and worse) and Christmas feels frighteningly close yet a long time until the next holiday. Motivation for parents to support reading and writing at home in Winter is tough.
So it’s not surprising that about 2/3 the way through a very long school term, motivation can drain. Regular reading and writing at home feels harder to achieve: there seem to be less options and energy. And let’s face it, it is the motivation and patience of the adults at home that have a big influence on how much a child does.
The good news!
The good news is that there is still so much you can do before Christmas. First decide what you want to do. Then decide how and when to do it. Then decide how to hold yourself to account. Easy.
What to do
Decide what your aim is. It will depend greatly on your child’s abilities, age and motivation. Some examples might include:
- encouraging my child to read before bed 5 nights / week
- listening to my child read aloud x number of times / week
- downloading an audiobook or two and encouraging them to listen before bed x number of times / week
- reading alongside my child at a set time each weekend
- Asking them to write a note in some Christmas cards
- reading aloud at a nativity / church service (I’ve never forgotten learning the word “multitude” as part of a carol service reading)
- creating a Christmas library (more on that on 24/11)
- going to the library
How to do it
If you’re like me, I have to have a specific goal. And generally I have to write it down. Some children may want to be involved in the goal setting – it can be very powerful to have them decide – or at least choose between options.
I’d encourage you to decide when (exactly) you are going to do it. You may wish to look at the diary ahead of time and also decide when you cannot do it. This can help emphasise how important the allotted times are. If you can see a week coming up with a torrent of matches, concerts, plays and evenings out, you’re going to have to work creatively to keep on schedule! But at least you don’t end up in a despairing downward cycle of feeling like you’re not achieving your goal.
As you look at the diary, also look for opportunities which arise as one-offs. For example, is it worth buying that pantomime programme if you know they’d be keen to read the actors’ biographies? (Or maybe that is the deal before you buy it!). If you drive around to look at Christmas lights, can they write a letter to a grandparent describing the best display they saw? As you look at the display, keep this in mind: you can soft-tutor the language as you’re talking . So rather than “Wow, I love it, do you want another mince pie?”, you could say, “Look at the reflection of those white lights, dripping off the eaves of that house.” Or, “I love the contrast of Santa’s crimson coat with his heavy black boots”. It might sound contrived on this page, but throwing in the odd sentence or word builds up the children’s vocabulary and ideas for writing.
Quick side note: for some children you may need to distinguish between written language and spoken. Particularly for those on the autistic spectrum, or who have similar tendencies, they may need to be specifically coached that this is great language to use when writing, but not necessarily chatting with their friends.
Hold yourself to account
Argh. A hard one. But somehow you need to monitor and check in with yourself. Sometimes this can be as simply as telling a friend what your plan is, and jokingly asking them to check in with you on how it is going when you next meet. It might be scheduling it in as a work task. Or it might be having a tick-chart on the fridge.
Depending on your circumstances, you may wish to consider fitting your parenting goals firmly alongside your work goals. There is some excellent and thoughtful information available for combining professional careers with motherhood and work-life balance. One of these includes a free goal-setting webinar next week for subscribers…contact me for more information.
Finally – getting that winter motivation for supporting reading and writing at home is possible. It just sometimes needs a boost and a plan!
Be realistic…
We are all busy in the run-up to Christmas – both adults and children. Your child is unlikely to read 3 long novels before Christmas if they haven’t read any yet.
…but be encouraged
Equally – don’t give up and leave it to the New Year! If you commit to do something – say for 15 minutes 5 times a week, this is 1 hour 15 minutes. There are still more than 5 weeks before most schools break up. The maths is compelling – over 6 hours of intensive reading, writing or listening time. That is more tutoring time than most of my tutees will receive between now and Christmas and I have great hopes for progress for all of them in that time…
