Ideas for 15 MINUTES OF FUN!
Every January, Toronto Public Library celebrates Family Literacy Day. This year’s theme, '15 Minutes of Fun', promotes the concept that taking 15 minutes each day to read or try out an activity can greatly improve a child’s literacy skills. This year, Family Literacy Day takes place on January 27th, but many library branches across the city will have activities and events leading up to the big day.
Fifteen minutes isn’t a lot of time to really dig into a hefty novel and not all children have the same kind of reading habits and interests. Sometimes ‘snack-sized’ reading can be less intimidating (especially for reluctant readers) and more light-hearted or fun. The library has many kinds of books that can satisfy the reading snack hunger.
‘Cool’ information – compendiums of information that speak to relevant and high-interest topics
My pick: Spider-Man: Inside the World of Your Friendly Neighborhood Hero
Trivia – a collection of interesting facts, sometimes with a specific theme or sometimes just a hodgepodge of information
My pick: Quiz Whiz: 1,000 Super-Fun Mind-Bending Totally Awesome Trivia Questions
Jokes – irresistibly funny and yes, still counts as reading
My pick: Just Joking: 300 Hilarious Jokes, Tricky Tongue Twisters, and Ridiculous Riddles
Short Nonfiction – a growing category in kid lit: short, usually hilarious or touching, true stories. Think David Sedaris for kids…
My pick: Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka
Books of Lists – similar to trivia but the information in these books are organized into lists
My picks: Scholastic Canada Book of Lists 1 & 2
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