Skip to content Finding Reading When You Have Kids Impossible? Here are 10 Ways to Save Time
Reading with kids…does everyone struggle with this? Here’s what helped me get books this year. And finish (This post contains affiliate links)
Closing the Book When You’re a Parent
Reading is my lifelong love. As a child I read everything I could get my hands on, and more. Even as an adult, I read a book every day and I didn’t have one.
But since becoming a parent – and, if we’re being honest – an iPhone owner – I and my second, all-time important to-do-things interest fell out of love with it. I found it difficult to read when you don’t have free time to be so busy. And, let’s face it, it’s frustrating when everyday distractions and you can’t lose yourself.
Even though my kids are older now, and able to entertain themselves for longer periods of time, I haven’t gone back more than a lot of holiday reading.
New Reading Challenge for 2023
Anyway, I miss it! As a mother of twelve I have a spare bag full of spare time that I can be filling with something really useful for checking Instagram, again. And it’s important that my kids – who also love to read, luckily – see me with a book in my hand a lot.
Inspired by people’s year-end book lists and new year challenges, I decided to sign up for the GoodReads Challenge and set myself a limit of one book a month.
And what do you think? So far I’ve read more than doubled my problem this year. And most importantly, I enjoy it and I find it interesting, fun and enriching.
Here’s what helped me read it again.
10 Ways to Read With Kids – What Helped Me Read
1. Selection of Books is Important
Finding things to read that I really want to read, rather than things that everyone else is reading, has really helped. Currently it is travel and history books. This site is also good for secondary trading.
2. Carrying My Book Everywhere Helps
Carrying my book around with me everywhere, around the house and out, means it’s always with me. Reminding me to read.
3. Access My Book, Not My Phone
Having my book with me helps me find this and not my phone. Go, doomscroll.
4. To Live
I love paper books, but having a Kindle is sometimes more convenient. I have a basic Kindle – similar to this one – but I have my eye on a jazzier one with a light, like this one.
5. Being The Kindle App
Having the Kindle app on your phone is also helpful! I have an iPhone and the app is great (if you don’t mind reading on the screen).
6. Reading Together
What helps with reading when you have children is to minimize distractions. So now we have a ‘read club’ after school where we sit on the couch and read together (it all sounds like a club, right? This also makes school books read.
7. Listening to Audiobooks
If you like audiobooks, I’ve found that having airpods really helps you to be able to do whatever you’re doing at home, and not be tied to your phone.
8. Falling asleep quickly to read
I’m a) bad at going to bed early and b) bad at doing anything other than checking the phone at night. So I have to force myself to do this, but I’m relaxing.
9. Closing a Book If I’m Not Happy With It
I also promised to quit if I didn’t enjoy anything.
10. To challenge myself!
Although one book a month is too little, I am now determined to beat it. I’m Gill Crawshaw on Goodreads – say hello if you’re there.
Books I’ve Read In 2023
This is what I’ve read so far in 2023. Any ideas for next?
After reading my post on Reading as a Parent, Read This:
Our favorite Nintendo Switch games / Kid’s bookshelf ideas / My favorite indoor books / Our Museum review / My reading ideas for 2025 / how to start reading and stop scrolling
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