By the time March rolls around I, and everyone else I know, have pretty much had it with the winter.  March is a finicky month.  Sometimes we can sneak out to enjoy an early spring, other times we find ourselves trapped in the house waiting for the seasons to change.  By now, your kids have played with every toy they own a thousand times, you are out of creative craft ideas and the walls seem to be getting a bit too close for comfort.  It is time for a fresh perspective and a change of venue.  Luckily, reading is here to help.

Set Your Site on Reading

Just because you can't get away on a weekend retreat doesn't mean you can't "book" one.  Embrace the outdoors from the comfort of your living room by hosting a "camp in".  After dinner, set up a tent (or a sheet fort) and sleeping bags, grab a flashlight, some easy snacks, dim the lights and try Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems copyright 2001 Kristine O'Connell George, Kate Kiesler.  Written from the point of view of a young girl on a camping trip with her family, these sensory inspired poems capture the sights, sounds and smells of the great outdoors.  Invite older children to take turns reading by flashlight and encourage younger listeners to mimic the night animals' sounds.  Changing the reading atmosphere can help breathe new life into your routine.

Bon Voyage

Dreaming of far and away places that boast fun in the sun? Create a little summertime indoors by cranking up the heat and inviting family members to trade in their sweaters for shorts, tee shirts and sunglasses.  Give each child a baking pan filled with sand (cornmeal), sand toys (empty plastic cups and spoons) and a tropical drink (frozen juice cups) and talk about your exotic location.  Once the mood has been set and the beverages enjoyed, invite each child to design a postcard showcasing their exotic port of call.  Hand out index cards, crayons, markers and stickers and take a trip from the everyday.  

Backwards Day

Sometimes the best way to put a new twist on an old routine is by turning the day inside out.  With a little pre-planning, you can have pizza for breakfast (English muffins with cheese and sauce), invite family members to slip into something uncomfortable by putting their clothes on backwards, and then enjoy your bedtime reading routine first thing in the morning.  Each child can bring a favorite story to the kitchen table which can be read (you guessed it!) from back to front.  Don't expect the story to make much sense, but your children will enjoy the change of pace.  Re-read the stories from front to back and talk about which "version" they liked better.

Spring may be right around the corner, but until you and your children can get back to the playgrounds, enjoy playing around with your reading routines!


Helen Coronato is a former middle school English teacher and children's librarian, who designed and facilitated literary workshops for parents and children. She now enjoys a career as a freelance writer, program facilitator and full time mother.  Her book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reading With Your Children will be released Summer 2007 and offers hands-on strategies for creating a literacy rich home using great stories, fun activities and manageable goal setting.  No expensive programs, no grandiose delusions; just well organized, age appropriate ideas for baiting your bookworm or reaching even the most reluctant readers.
Please visit the author at www.helencoronato.com.


Rearing Readers is a monthly momready column, written by Helen Coronato, about creative ways to encourage children of all ages to read.

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