If we get to the end of an enjoyable book too quickly, we feel disappointed and wish for more.Ĭhildren enjoy movies longer than five minutes. Explain to children that adventures take time to appreciate. Eventually, they’ll be reading longer and enjoying reading more too!Ģ.) Stories are adventures.

Track their progress to show them how they are improving. If they struggle to read alone, have them read with you. Increase the daily time by increments of 3-5 minutes a week, depending on a child’s individual baseline. Or, set a timer and have your child read as much as they can for 5 minutes a day. Eventually, increase your child to one page and then to one chapter a day. Set small, achievable goals for your child – even if it’s reading one paragraph a day. Just as athletes and musicians practice regularly, beginning readers need practice – ideally five days a week. Simple Ways to Help Kids Develop Patience as Readers:ġ.) Have a set reading practice schedule. There’s no fly-through fast food in the wild.Īuthors bring readers on a metaphorical “hunt.” Like an owl waiting for a meal to cross its path, a young reader will experience excitement while patiently following along in a book’s adventure. No matter how hungry an owl may be, it must wait quietly for a critter to appear. Owls instinctively know that seemingly mundane, repetitive habits yield success. Owls help kids visualize the need for patience in achieving goals – whether the goal is finishing a chapter book or learning a sport. This mentality results in giving up, disappointment or burnout. Olympic medalists inspire kids to pursue sports with flashy tricks and dazzling medals – but kids don’t see the daily habits of sacrifice, exercise and focus multiplied over many years. Many children thus habituate themselves to expect immediate results, achievement and answers with a swipe of their finger. What begins as a “quick peek” at a video or “just one more round” of a silly game becomes a habit that’s hard to break. Unfortunately, the same device kids use to access e-books and homework often contains tantalizing distractions like games, music, videos and messaging. Reading requires focus, attention and patience. How Owls Hunt is How Kids Successfully Read Parents and teachers can leverage quiet, persistent birds to inspire the same qualities in children – while motivating kids to “swoop in” and achieve big goals. Owls delight children in literature, movies and nature. This struggle plays a direct role in a related challenge: reading. Today, I’ll share ways to increase a child’s attention span (and desire to read!) with help from owls.

Many children struggle with focus, patience and attention.

Moonlight Animals by Elizabeth Golding