The 5×5 Reading Challenge
You guys! I am beside myself excited about what’s coming up next week.
After more than a year of thinking about it, I’m hosting a reading challenge and I would LOVE for you to join me!
I’m calling it the 5×5 Reading Challenge and the goal is to read 5 picture books with your children for 5 consecutive days.
It kicks off next Monday, March 11th and will run through Friday March, 15th.
Let me tell you about why I’m so passionate about this reading challenge:
The 5×5 Reading Challenge
I spend most of the day, every day, with my four children and yet, I constantly feel like my life is conspiring to make sure we don’t have any real time of connection.
Can you relate?
The days race by in a blur of laundry to be folded, emails to be answered, dinner to be prepped, errands to be run, lessons to drive to and from, and so on and so forth.
Last year, I realized that in the juggle of keeping my household running, I was failing at doing what mattered most to me – being a great mom.
My husband asked me, “What is one thing you could do that would make you feel like you were being the kind of mom you want to be.”
After just a few seconds, I realized that if I could spend 15 minutes reading books to my girls, that would go a long way to helping me feel the kind of connection I wanted with them.
That’s where the 5×5 Reading Challenge comes in.
Next week, for 5 days, put aside your laundry or dishes or emails for 15 minutes, grab a blanket (I don’t know why, but reading with a blanket is NEXT LEVEL for my children) and grab a stack of picture books.
Give yourself (and your child) the gift of being the mom you want to be for those few minutes every day next week.
The 5×5 Reading Challenge is a chance for you to work on creating a deep bond with your child, establish new habits of togetherness and instill a love of reading that will benefit them through their life.
That’s a lot of magic for 15 minutes a day (I haven’t even talked about the academic benefits of reading to your child!).
If you’ve gotten out of the habit of making reading together part of your routine, I hope this will help you jumpstart it.
And if you’re already a picture book aficionado, well . . . who wouldn’t want to do it with friends (even if it’s pretend friends on the internet)?
Sign up below to join the 5×5 Reading Challenge and I’ll send you some of my best picture book recommendations so you have plenty to choose from, plus a printable chart so you can keep track of the books with your children as you read next week.
And will there be some fun prizes along the way?
You can count on it!
I’m already counting down the seconds until Monday – I hope you’ll join me!
I love this idea! I totally agree with you – reading to my kids always makes me feel like the mom that I want to be. (Bonus: it’s a lot of fun for my girls – AND for me! 🙂 Can’t wait to do this!
Love this!!! You know how much I tout connection in all I do on my blog and in working with children and special need kids. I love this! Connection is vital in our role as mom/parents. I’m in!
I love this idea! We already read books at bedtime every night, but doing it during after-work playtime, intentionally, sounds like a really great idea! I’m in!
I love this. I’ve started trying to read to my girls in the morning over breakfast in addition to wake up and bedtime stories. They love it and so do I. I’ve become the mom who takes a few picture books everywhere we go.
My kids are in their 20’s but I can remember their Dad and I read to them nightly. It’s some of the best memories from that time. On trips when they were little they would read a book in the car.
I continued to read to them when there Dad passed away(they were 14 and 11). It was a consistentany that I think was critical at that time. Night time were hard for us all but anything I could do to continue that love of reading.
Love your stories and posts.
I love this idea! Recently I saw a poster (in a library) “No app can replace your lap, read to your child” and I love it. I also think reading to your children is so much more than learning to read (or appreciate reading) so many other benefits.
I love this! Reading out loud is about my favorite way to spend time with my 5 year old, I just can’t always get him to sit down with me!
This may kill me, but my kids are going to love it! We have story time every night as part of the bedtime routine. They wouldn’t admit it, but it has to be one of their favorite times of day as it is the only time of day we sit and read stories. Plus, they’re never satisfied with just one or two books at story time. They always beg for just one more (and then one more after that!) We usually read 3-4 books and always are spoiled for choice as we have a pretty decent stash of books – no matter how many I give away or sell. Looking forward to the challenge and SOOO are they. xx
Fantastic! I did the January reading challenge with Read Aloud Revival and loved it. If anybody’s looking for more picture book ideas, I’ve got some on my blog, too! http://www.evereadbooks.com/search/label/Picture%20Book
I can’t wait to play along! I already read every night with my 5th-and-3rd-graders and it is the one parenting practice that I can say, without reservation, that I am 100% proud of myself for continuing. We connect and laugh and cry and have really deep discussions stemming from books like Crenshaw, Wonder, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and basically anything by Sharon Creech. However, I’ve gotten really lazy about reading with my 5yo, so I’m looking to jump-start the habit with him this week!
My favorite time of the day is Read Aloud time with my kids! I’m excited to join in on the challenge!
I just had baby #5 two days ago and I feel like this will be a perfect low key way to connect with the older kids while we all recover. Thanks for the idea.
Congrats on the new baby! And yes – the perfect time to snuggle up in bed or on the couch!
I’m excited! We always read before naps and bedtime so we usually do at least 5 anyway. BUT I am going to do 5 books during the day as well with this challenge AND because my youngest always gets less mama time😭 I’m going to make sure take more time before her naps next week to read 5 books 💜 thanks for the much needed boost!
I wish I still had someone to read to but my four are way to old. I was still reading to my youngest when he was in college so that has to tell you how much I support your. Challenge. I hope you have a spectacular response.
Such a fun idea! So easy but so important.