7-Year-Old Reads Grandma Bedtime Story Over Video Call as Part of Homeschooling Routine

A seven-year-old boy from Illinois is continuing his schoolwork at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with one key assignment each evening involving reading to his grandmother over a video call.

Filmmaker Mike Kwielford, the child’s father, captured a video of the now-nightly event on March 22. In the footage, his son, Skyler, reads a poem titled Boa Constrictor to his grandmother. The poem comes from a book by Shel Silverstein called Where the Sidewalk Ends.

On March 20, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced a “stay-at-home” order until April 7, as per NBC Chicago. The order included the closure of schools in the state.

With the educational needs of schoolchildren now having to be met at home, Skyler and his grandmother have arranged to communicate electronically so he can practice reading on a daily basis.

Speaking to Storyful, Kwielford said, “Doing schoolwork remotely has been challenging for us with all the distractions at home, but we’re making the best of it.”

He added, “This has been great for some wonderful bonding time with both him and my parents. He loves it and so do they. It’s allowing him to have fun while keeping up with his reading.” Credit: Michael Kwielford via Storyful