Being a mom is a full time job of playing the never ending game of catch up. We are told constantly to read to our children! But let’s face it there is point where our to do list becomes a new idol in our life. This, however, became the challenge for me. That is when I chose to sit down and really narrow down those lists. I finally had to force my self to consider my priorities that will make a difference in my daughters lives. Reading 1,000 books before kindergarten just happened to be one big goal for our family!
1.When you feel like Scrolling…
Most, whether you are a mom or not, find when they sit down for a second they immediately grab their phone. When in reality there is absolutely no need to know what your “aunt karen” is thinking about for the moment. Whenever I found my self getting overwhelmed I decided it was time to pick up a book and read to them.
Being a breastfeeding mom I found it difficult to stay off my phone. There was maybe an hour and a half break I got in-between feeds somedays. I too felt as if someone would take my phone away I would have withdrawals! Which probably would have happened in some form. I made up so many excuses. Thats when I realized I was the problem. I stopped looking for toddler activity boxes to have ready for those moments and kept a stack of books right next to me. And this changed the game. I actually saw the moments I was missing.
2. Not just for bedtime…
Most parents are working on top of everything else and mornings can feel like such an overload. It is so easy just to flick on the T.V so that way you can make breakfast without interruptions. Which ,often enough ,I do just so I can get my first sip of coffee in. But as soon as I get that sip and get food on the table I found that keeping a book or two near by was just what we needed as a family to get the day started. As we kept making reading a priority our goal of reaching 1,000 books by kindergarten didn’t seem hard to reach. It gets ,not only your little ones, our own minds going as well. Especially when your just having a day. Sometimes replaying that simple life lesson, or phrase, in your head can help your mindset extremely.
3. Just waiting…
I also found reading in the most inconvenient of times worked. Yes, I said that. For example in the car while waiting for your husband to fill the gas tank. Or even in the doctors office to calm their nerves. These are just a few of the places for example. I even have read a book while in the store to get my toddler to calm down. Sometimes it takes putting our minds to work to get us back on track. That is even more so true for our children. Kids books are so abundant now days that it really doesn’t cost much or take up room just to keep a couple on hand. Before you know it that list to 1,000 will creep up fast.
Something to consider greatly though is how every child is different. And there will, guaranteed, always be seasons of life where the work to what ever goals you have will come to a stand still. But that is more than okay. Your progress will never go down its alway only goes up. Take each moment as it is and soon it will all be second nature. Just implementing these 3 easy tips for reading 1,000 books by kindergarten will make a big impact on just your kids life but yours as well.
Also Check out…
Leave a Reply