Page 28 - teachYourChildToRead

28 Teach your child to read

? How’s it going?

Q: My son just loves reading so much; he wants me to read all the
time. How many books is enough in one day, is it ok for me to limit
the number?

A: It sounds like you have done a wonderful job promoting a love of
literature. Some educators recommend six books per day however,
somewhere between one and three is a good guide. It is ok to limit
the number of books; children need a balance of quiet and active
play throughout the day.

Q: Theo is almost three and is so active. He runs everywhere and
climbs on everything, he does not want a bar of sitting down and
playing anything, he just wants to get outside.

A: This is very common; Theo is obviously a very active child and
will probably grow into an active adult. Some tips that may help
him slow down a little;

• ensure he is getting sufficient sleep, children tend to be more
active when they are over tired
• offer lots of opportunities for active play, he obviously has
lots of energy to burn off and needs energetic physical play
experiences
• introduce ‘wind down’ time, give him plenty of notice that
the outdoor play will finish, for example “Theo, in ten min-
utes, we will finish playing outside and go inside”, this allows
him to prepare for it
• the ‘wind down’ time could be reinforced for Theo by using a
visual aide such as an egg timer
• water play is often soothing, and will relax him, after bath
time might be a good time to introduce quiet play activities

As he gets older, his concentration span will lengthen and he will be
able to spend longer periods in quiet play experiences.

Q: My son can match the pictures, he does a couple and then just
wants to do his own thing. He picks the picture of the truck up and
zooms it along the table and then gets distracted, I spend the whole
time trying to get him back on track.