The title of this blog started of to be "Give Them 20".  But as I began to write it, it changed to "Take 20". (Even though the original title was left.) 

You may be asking, "Take 20 of what?"

The answer would be, "Take 20 minutes to read daily."

I understand that what I'm about to say will come with excuses as to why it's not being done, or why it can't be done.  And that's just what they are (in my opinion), excuses. 

Take a moment and think about what your home activities are at the end of the day.  

Now, after thinking about your answer, where can you replace your activities with 20 minutes for reading?

Benefits of reading 20 minutes a day. 

First, let me make notes that daily reading not only benefits children, it can also benefit us adults.

• Daily reading can reduce stress levels by 70%.  Both adults and children may experience stress throughout the day. 
• Reading strengthens our ability to focus. I'm sure I don't have to even write about the need for focus. 
• Reading also strengthens our ability to comprehend. Strengthening comprehension levels in our children needs no explanation. 
• Reading daily increases our ability to display empathy. It allows us to experience other people's perspective and build emotional intelligence. 

The numbers below further indicate the benefits of reading daily for 20 minutes. 

Reading 20 Minutes Daily

-exposes us to 1.8 million words per year

-students score 90 percentile on standardized tests

Reading 5 Minutes Daily

-exposes us to 282,000 words per year

-students score 50 percentile on standardized tests

Reading 5 Minutes Daily 

-exposes us to 8,000 words for year 

-students score 10 percentile on standardized tests

Taking 20 minutes to read a day can easily be incorporated in our day.  Let's challenge ourselves to do it. The rewards are great. 

Picture credit: MatthewBall@Unsplash.com