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Summer and “freedom” for students is just around the corner in the city of Albert Lea. In the wake of longer days filled with so much activity, reading can get lost in the mix especially if it is still hard work and the world of stories is still an elusive concept. I have often seen two avenues for reading in the summer: forgotten or forced. Neither provides much growth for creating a lifelong learner. I want to humbly offer a third avenue: read aloud together. This could be done in two ways: First, set a timer for only 10 minutes and get a whole bunch of fantastic picture books or chapter book (our local library can set you up for success!) and read to your child … no matter the age, even that surely tween. Second, set a timer for 10 minutes and listen to an audiobook, there are several wonderful series free through Hoopla via the library. Reading aloud together models that it’s important to both guardian and child, connection, and most importantly it is an invitation to fall in love with stories and not worry so much about the mechanics of reading.

It’s national Children’s Book Week this week (May 6-12) and their slogan this year is “No Rules. Just Read.” I couldn’t agree more. We sometimes put so many rules to reading: how long, which books, what kind of books, length, word count etc. But reading is best fallen in love wiith when there are no rules and just time and space to fall into stories, especially with others.

Molly Grimmius
Albert Lea