I do not have a DVR so I have to watch commercials when I watch television. There is an insurance company that claims in one of their commercials that in 15 minutes I can save a lot of money on my car insurance. I love that concept because even though 15 minutes is not a lot of time (in the span of a day)- doing something consistently every day for 15 minutes can really make a great difference in your life or the life your little boy or girl. The national reading association recommends reading at least 15 minutes per day with your child can drastically improve language and academics. Because I am a speech pathologist I will also add that 15 minutes working on speech sounds or language concepts makes a huge difference.

I find that many parents start off reading to their kids everyday or working on their speech sounds when they are babies and toddlers; but as they get older-when homework, extra curricular activities, and just everyday busy life sets in- the consistent reading time tends to be one of the first things that gets dropped. But as your child gets older that’s really when the reading should continue-if not intensify.

“But where can I get 15 minutes Adrienne?” I know you are asking that. Let’s think about where we can get 15 minutes in our day:

• In the morning before school-There is a perception that we must read with our kids before bedtime-but if you work full time and have a busy evening sometimes its all you can do to get dinner on the table, homework completed and lunches made for the next day.

• Cut the video game/tv/ tablet time-I wont harp on it-take 15 minutes from the time they spend watching tv or playing video games.

• In the car-many of us have longer commutes to school or from aftercare-this is a great time to get some reading in. If your child has an older sibling-try having them read to each other in the car. If your child is older have them read out loud to you.

• On the weekends-this is a great way to start. If you have tried and tried but still can’t seem to find 15 extra minutes in your day then start by doing this on the weekends.

There is a quote that says “You make time for what you want to make time for.” I find this to be true about most anything. In our busy everyday lives-free time usually will not appear-but if we schedule it or make time for it- you can make it happen. Read with your kid or have your kid read to you-You will be glad that you did![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]