Should I interrupt independent reading.....

[journey00]

to do cursive, math, and WWE? Something always happens where we cannot stay on schedule for one week (but that's for another thread.) For the last few days my 10 yr old is happily absorbed in one of the Diary of A Wimpy Kid books. No, it's not literature nor a very hard read but he's reading...but alas he loves to read. :)

[Ivey]

I do. My kids learned early on that they can use reading to get out of doing a lot of things they don't want to do, but schoolwork isn't one of them. 

[My3girls]

Yes, I would interrupt. Free reading can be done on breaks and on their own time. I highly encourage it, but schoolwork has to be done. It's the same as writing. I encourage them to journal and write their own stories, but it does not replace their writing assignments where they are learning a specific technique or need to write on a specific topic.

[umsami]

I usually have to with DS10, because he's like I am….and will read non-stop until he finishes a book.  If I don't stop him, we'd never get any of the other topics done. :)

 

I do always give a warning…as in….you need to stop at the end of this chapter so we can do XYZ….but you can go back to reading later this afternoon.

[sunnyday]

Stopping an activity while it's still rewarding and exciting is a great way to build drive to continue that activity. :) "I'm sorry, but you need to stop reading for a bit. Don't worry, when your work is done, you GET TO READ MORE!" ;)

[journey00]

Ok!! Then I won't feel guilty for interrupting. Thank you all! 😀

[tjdan]

If I didn't stop him, DS7 would never do anything but read.  Until he ran out of books, but then he'd probably start over again, like he's done before.  I just tell him to put the book down- of course, it's just an echo out of the past, as my own mother said the same thing!

[Farrar]

I think it depends on the kid.  If you have a kid who loves to read and would do it all day, then yeah, I think you have to.  If you have a kid who doesn't read all the time, then no.  It's the same thing with happy sibling play, for example.  I've seen people say that when their kids are playing cooperatively and well, they won't interrupt to do school - because it's rare enough that it feels precious.  But my twins play so happily all the time, if I did that, we'd never do school.  So any time a child is doing something productive (play, reading, art, building, etc.) and that feels like a precious activity that deserves to be supported, then you don't.  But otherwise, no matter how good, then you do, because you have to sometimes.

[GSOchristie]

Yes, but he just wants to read and call it a day. He will read for four hours and then whine if he has to do math because he has been "studious" for the past four hours.

[journey00]

Lol! Sneaky...Aren't they? My son has pulled every one of the tricks mentioned above. ;)