THE ZEN OF READING

Multi-tasking, or as the ancients called it: monkey mind, is a disease that has many consequences. One is the impact is has on youngsters. Kids are so inundated with media that their minds jump from metaphorical branch to metaphorical branch without ever resting. One of the consequences is that many children have trouble reading. Experts have coined a term: reading stamina. This is the educational field's version of the one-pointed-mind: the ability to stay with a text for extended periods of time while putting off extraneous thoughts. Reading, then, is a form of mindfulness. As a literacy specialist, I have often recommended that parents teach meditation to children. In fact, I devoted an entire chapter to it in my book READ WELL, THINK WELL www.readwellthinkwell.com. As a society, we have only just begun to explore the benefits of meditation.
Here is a simple practice you can with your child. Sit comfortably. (No, it’s not necessary to twist yourselves into the lotus position if you don’t want to.) Focus on your abdomen. Feel it rising and falling as you breathe in an out. Count the out-breath from one to four. When you or your child becomes distracted (and you WILL get distracted) simply start again counting 1-2-3-4. With very young children you can do this for a minute or two and build up to five minutes. Older children (ages ten and above) can work their way up (gradually) to fifteen minutes. Above the age of fourteen, try for twenty minutes to a half-hour.
Never force your child to do this longer than he’s comfortable doing it. This should be a pleasant, shared experience. The long term benefits on concentration, and thus on reading, will be tremendous.