Get this: “A tiny difference in daily reading habits is associated with giant improvements,” wrote Jill Barshay for The Hechinger Report. And that “tiny difference” apparently translates to just 4.7 minutes of daily reading, according to a Renaissance Learning “What Kids Are Reading” report.
Here’s the deal: The company took a look at about 200,000 of its 1.4 million 5th graders in its data base, all of whom were reading below grade level. In other words, they were in the bottom 20% of their classmates across the country.
And while most of those kids ended the school year just about where they started when it came to their reading skills, 28% of them not only improved, but, in less than one year, made it into the top 50% of 5th graders.
How is that even possible? Well, apparently, the successful 5th graders read, on average, 19 minutes a day vs those at the bottom who log in just 14.3 minutes a day.
The difference is just 4.7 minutes of reading a day. That’s it.
The bottom line: Put books in the hands of your children and let them see you reading, too. Will it matter? You bet!