The right time for reading

I don't always feel like writing.

Or reading, for that matter.

Since it's what I do for a living, I have more impetus than most people to actually write. After all, if I do write, I'll earn some money. If I don't write, I won't.

And yet, there are many times when I just don't feel like writing. Over the years, I've come to understand when I'm most creative and when I should just clean the house.

I can only imagine that reading and writing must be even harder for kids, who don't even have a financial incentive. I'm sure there are many times when they just don't feel like reading.

Fortunately, however, they will also have times when reading is just the perfect activity. Maybe it's an hour before bed, when they're in their jammies, maybe with a snack on the bedside table. Or during a long car ride. Or after dinner.

If you ask someone to read when they really need to be outside kicking a ball, you're likely to be facing an uphill battle. But if you schedule time for it when the child most feels like reading, it's going to be more fun for him.

Not that it's going to be easy to figure out when his best reading time is. If you're not sure, why not try the jammies-and-a-snack idea. Or, even better, let your child read past his bedtime. Pretend that you don't realize it's after 9:00. Letting a child break the rules by reading is often a great way to invoke reading as a wonderful, guilty pleasure.