‘After-the-Summer-Holiday’-Year’s Resolutions

It’s taken me til now to feel like I’ve recovered from the summer holidays and that we are in some sort of school routine. I’m maintaining some semblance of order inside the house (I won’t say anything about the yard) and we are getting to school with lunches and hats (maybe not drink bottles) on time.

Our commitment to reading and books has taken a backseat while the weather has been warm and the house has been busy with friends and activities. We still visited the library and we still had stories, but who wants to read a book when there are sprinklers to run under or icy poles aplenty.

This year we have a Prep in the house and that means not just reading for joy, but learning to read. I was really lucky with the first child, he just seemed to pick up reading no problem and went to school reading, but Miss 5 is a different story. She knows her alphabet and can recognise some of the sounds. She is also keen to be able to read, but given her stubborn and independent personality, I’m quite worried that she won’t let me teach her to read.  We have had a handful of attempts at explicit teaching to read and have had a wide array of results on the ‘success spectrum’. This is going to require superhuman patience and lots of growth mindset lingo.

My other bookish focus for the year is giving time and attention to the neglected 1 yr old. He is often happy to potter around the house entertaining himself by climbing on furniture and falling down stairs. It’s easy to forget to make time for reading to him. He also seems to have a knack for destroying books that have stood up under intense pressure and scrutiny from many other children (RIP ‘Where is the Green Sheep?’) It’s time to get out all the board books, anything that rhymes, anything that is already nearly ready for the bin and put them in his zone. It’s time to let him feed himself, no matter the mess, and read to him while he is locked into the highchair.