A Sneaky Way To Find Some Quiet
It’s been a busy and noisy day. You need to find some peace and quiet and a little alone time. I know that feeling all too well. While I am all about modeling and sharing ways to connect with our children, I also know that taking short breaks from our kiddos is a good thing. We need these breaks to relax, recharge, and reset.
Well I present to you a sneaky little way you can create a time of informal reading moments at home for them while also getting a little bit of me-time for you. Win-win? Yes!
Now, I will say that this works best when your child is a little more independent. I’ll also say that in the beginning it’s going to require just a little bit of planning and some modeling from you, but soon after, you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of this tip. So here goes.
Walk Towards the booksHelf
It starts with the bookshelf! Yes, you heard me right! When the most used bookshelf starts looking a little too messy, I’ll ask my two boys to organize it. They are 10 and 7 now, but I started doing this when my oldest was about 5 years old. In the past, I used this task of organizing the bookshelf as a teaching moment by showing them how to sort the books into different categories: fiction and non-fiction, hard covered and soft covered, by authors, by topics, by sizes, so on and so forth. Now my boys have the choice to organize the shelf how they want, and once in a while I’ll offer a little guidance. Truth be told though, throughout the years I have been known to get really book happy and organize the entire shelf myself. Organizing the bookshelf actually relaxes me too, but I digress…
So you tell your child they have the task of organizing the books shelf, hear them whine a little, ask them what their organizational plan is, and help get them started. Asking them what their plan is important because if they don’t have one, they may keep coming right back to you-know-who for help. Keep it as simple and as brief as you possibly can. Remember, the goal is to get you to quiet time.
Then Walk Away
LEAVE. Even if it’s already starting to look messier than before they started, walk away. It’s okay. Your peace and quiet depends on you walking away. Your child will continue organizing. If they are working with a sibling they will annoy each other for a few minutes, because that’s a part of the process. But then, here comes the best part…they will become DISTRACTED and distracted in the best way possible. They will begin READING some of the very books they are trying to organize.
“They will become DISTRACTED in the best way possible. ”
A wonderful Distraction
Here’s how it happens. They stumble upon a book they haven’t read in a while or that they completely forgot about, and it’s like they are meeting up with an old friend. The clock keeps ticking. There’s no movement, no yelling, and no tattling. That quiet you long for is finally here.
If you peek in, you will see that they are lost in a world of illustrations, adventures, and fact finding. Little eyes are watching intently as the very hungry caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly once again. They are excitedly “traveling” on a short visit to where the wild things are. Pounding hearts are taking really deep breaths as Auggie Pullman starts his first day of school again. They are fascinated by the idea that a baby seal can be born with white fur. A new interest in old or forgotten books has overtaken them and they are glued to their seats…or the floor, or rug.
Whether they are looking at the illustrations page by page, reading a few words they know, retelling the memorized story from beginning to end, or fully immersed in each chapter, a world of unlimited reading moments has just opened up for them.
You might want to shout for joy, but don’t. Celebrate by doing a silent little happy dance in the kitchen.
Happy heart, Quiet Home
I am a witness to this. It can happen to you too. Your heart will be happy watching your child revisit old “friends” and your home will be quiet- if even for a little. What will you do with this quiet? Have a cup of coffee? Close your eyes? Read your own book? Absolutely nothing? That’s okay too!
Yes, in my home it takes them FOREVER to actually organize that bookshelf, but I can’t get mad. I’m absolutely okay with it. After all, that was the plan all along.
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