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Reading stamina — sticking with a book
Can do: Reads independently for fifteen to twenty minutes and finishes chapter books.
Why it matters
Volume of reading is the single biggest driver of vocabulary and comprehension growth. Stamina is what makes volume possible.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Reads two pages and stops, or starts many books and finishes none.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Quietly time an independent reading session with no prompting.
Solid looks like: Fifteen minutes without wandering off.
The full activity for this topic · 15 minutes
Stamina Ladder
- 1Find their current honest limit — maybe six minutes. Start there, not where you wish they were.
- 2Add one minute every couple of days and mark it on a ladder on the wall.
- 3Read alongside them, your own book, in silence. This does most of the work.
- 4Let them pick the book, even if it's below level or the same one again.
- 5Never turn it into a comprehension test afterwards. The reading is the point.
If it's too hard
Alternate pages with you, which halves the load without halving the reading.
If it's too easy
A chapter book read over a week, with them recapping the story each night.
Say this
"I'm reading mine too. Twelve minutes today — that's one more than yesterday."