Books = tv time

[Anonymous]

For an incoming 1st grader, what do you think?

1 picture book (1 chapter) read= ? Minutes of tv

What do you think is reasonable?

[Anonymous]

I’m not a fan. For every 3 books my kids read this summer, they earn a new free book from me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not a fan. For every 3 books my kids read this summer, they earn a new free book from me.

DP.. you realize that if they don't enjoy reading then this is not an incentive, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not a fan. For every 3 books my kids read this summer, they earn a new free book from me.

PP and I’d like to clarify. You’re setting reading up as a chore to only be done to get TV. When the reward is more books, I feel like to helps foster a love of reading.

[Anonymous]

I'd just cap tv time to an hour a day and go from there.

If they are hesitant to read alone, read with them. Sit down and read next to them, or read a book together, or whatever works.

[Anonymous]

I just don't give screen time at all to my kids, unless they're home sick or we're traveling.

They don't get rewarded for reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd just cap tv time to an hour a day and go from there.

If they are hesitant to read alone, read with them. Sit down and read next to them, or read a book together, or whatever works.

+1 at this age, if they don't love reading on their own, you should sit down and read with them. We did this every night with our kids. Even if it wasn't us reading the same book, I would sit in DC's room on the bed with DC while DC read DC's book and I read mine. I find that at this age, kids just want to be with you, and hate being in bed by themselves. Just being together on the bed might encourage your DC to read more. I know this helps for my DC.

[Anonymous]

I would do they have to read 20 mins daily. Depending on how much screentime they get now, they could earn more by more reading. So if they can watch an hour now, if they want to read an extra 20 mins they can, and earn another 30 mins of screen time. I want my 7yo to want to read too but at this age a lot of it is just practicing and getting better. I think the wanting to read will come in a couple of years.

[Anonymous]

Just read to him.

[Anonymous]

I was reading to my 6 year old grandson last week and I'd point to and read a sentence and then he'd repeat it. It was his idea. He wasn't reading per se but I could see how he was developing the skills to read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd just cap tv time to an hour a day and go from there.

If they are hesitant to read alone, read with them. Sit down and read next to them, or read a book together, or whatever works.

+1

Agree with this. Less during the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not a fan. For every 3 books my kids read this summer, they earn a new free book from me.

PP and I’d like to clarify. You’re setting reading up as a chore to only be done to get TV. When the reward is more books, I feel like to helps foster a love of reading.

+1

This is well-documented. Rewarding X with a "treat" will generally disincentivize X (it will seem *even more* like a chore only worth doing to get the treat). It will also make the treat more attractive-- this is called "the bonus effect."

E.g., rewarding books with screen time tends to make books less attractive and screen time more attractive.

[Anonymous]

That’s a really bad idea, OP. Don’t make reading a chore and screens a reward.

[Anonymous]

Bad idea. Kids will not be reading to absorb the material. They will be quickly rushing through to get to the reward.

[Anonymous]

Idk but my friend did:
Run/walk around the block = episode of tv

This was a 4yo, so they walked together, mom with baby in stroller.