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The 2021-2022 school year is well underway for us, so today I wanted to share one of the reading habits we’ve grown into. Owen’s first grade teacher asks that students read for 15+ minutes each day to practice reading skills. We typically aim for 20 minutes.
Car Line Reading
On weekdays, we get in our 20 minutes of reading in the morning car line. There’s multiple reasons why I like this method.
1.Minimal distractions. There’s no TV, toys, or interruptions while sitting in the car in the school parking lot. Although we typically have to pause for Owen to yell “There’s my bus!”
2.Using time wisely. By reading in the car while we wait for school to open, Owen is learning the value in time management. Instead of playing in the car during those 20 minutes, we’re using our time wisely and reading.
3. A healthy habit. Reading every morning also forms the healthy habit of reading while having to wait. Hopefully this will start a lifelong habit of Owen reading a book, magazine, or news article while he’s waiting for a class to start or for an appointment.
4. Quality Time. I really enjoy our time reading together in the car in the mornings. It’s quality, one-on-one time with Owen.
Car Book Box
To keep our reading materials organized, and from being stepped on, I have a clear plastic container that stays in my car behind the front passenger seat. It’s easy for me to reach over, open the lid, and grab items from the container. And because it always stays in my car, we never forget to bring books to read. I rotate the books as needed.
I rotate holiday-themed books in when necessary. And when Owen is in his library rotation at school, we read his library books together. But we always have BOB Books in the car book box.
BOB Books
We’ve been reading BOB Books for over a year. We love them for a few different reasons.
Grow with the Reader
There’s a natural progression of the book sets that grow with the reader. The stages covered by the books are pre-reading skills, stage 1: starting to read, stage 2: emerging readers, and stage 3: developing readers. So Owen feels more confident as a reader, I keep different stages of books in the car. I like to have him read a couple challenging books and a couple books he’s already mastered.
Compact
As a parent, I love how the books are compact. Each set fits perfect inside the box, keeping things organized. And the set pictured below even comes with flashcards.
Sight Words
On the inside of the BOB Books there are the noted sight words so we can practice those before reading the books. Then, when Owen sees them in the book, he’s already somewhat familiar with the words.
Silly Storylines
Owen enjoys Bob Books because of the silly storylines. They keep him laughing and wanting to read more.
Implementing the morning car line reading routine has been very beneficial to Owen and his growth as a reader. What reading habits have you started with your kids?
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