How much do you read-aloud?

[sahm99]

I never feel we are doing enough...:001_huh:

 

So, please share, how much, how often, and when do you read aloud?

How structured are you in your readings?:bigear:

[Peela]

Pretty much always, for years now, an hour a day. We stoppe evening read alouds a couple of years ago. I put aside a n hour of school timeto read and discuss with the kids. Usually, there is a non fiction and a fiction book on the go, and some poetry.

[mom2denj]

ALOT!! With my 12 yr old dd we are using Sonlight Core 5 and we read for about 1 1/2 - 2 hrs per day. With my 3 yr old dd, I am using Core P3/4 and we read for about 1/2 - 1 hr per day. The reading with my 12 yr old gets a bit hard to keep up with each day, but I try to split it up.

[gandpsmommy]

Well, we aren't reading as much as I like right now, but our spring sports schedule is beginning, so there isn't as much time right now. I like to have a few different read-alouds going at the same time, in different genres, but right now it's just one.

 

What we were doing in the fall and winter was this:

 

• history read-aloud (SOTW, Vol. 3) at breakfast/lunch (I tie it to a meal so that it definitely gets done. While the kids eat, I read.)
  
• literature read-aloud (This year we read D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths, finished up DK's Children's Illustrated Story Bible, and read a book of Persian folktales) at breakfast/lunch
  
• Classic or current children's book read-aloud (Usually at bedtime, but sometimes right after lunch.) Currently we are reading The Mysterious Benedict Society. Earlier this year we read Poppy, The Dragon of Lonely Island, Return to Lonely Island, The Magician's Nephew, a few chapters of Farmer Boy, half of Little Women, and a couple of books about two mice named Tumtum and Nutmeg.
  

 

[TammyinTN]

We are reading for about 2.5 to 3 hours daily. We usually do one read aloud in the morning, one in the afternoon and another at bedtime. I really am enjoying it and our conversations are very interesting these days. :D

[TravelingChris]

None, I stopped many years ago. Now I only occasionally read a short section of some textbook to a child. I have Sjogren's Syndrome and my mouth is very dry. Reading aloud is not the thing for me. We do listen to books occasionally.

[gingersmom]

I read aloud with both kids for 30-45 minutes everyday (right now we are reading Johnny Tremain) and with my son every afternoon for another 30 minutes (currently Matilda).

[prairiegirl]

We read aloud ALOT! I'd say maybe about 3 hours a day. We have alot of different books on the go at the same time a la Ambleside. Reading aloud is a source of comfort for me and my children. This is the best part of homeschooling in our opinions.

[radiobrain]

My husband reads to the boys first thing in the morning for about 30-40 min.

 

I read at least 1 chapter from whatever book we are reading before we start our "school work" and will occasionally read other things....

 

I do read a lot of their school books out loud. It is easier and we can discuss things more easily.

 

We used to do reading again at night... but that is gone....

 

The boys each have 2 "reading lessons" a day with Daddy, where they read out loud to him for 20-30 min. SO we have at least 3 books all going at the same time. :tongue_smilie:

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

My kids are 5 and 7 and are both reading on their own, but we still do read alouds every night before bed for about an hour. We usually read 2-3 picture books, a few poems, then a chapter or two out of the 2-3 chapter books we have going at any given time. Right now, we are almost finished with Trumpet of the Swan, and we are reading some fantasy-type chapter book that my older kid picked from the library, and a Magic Tree House book that the younger one picked.

[lynn]

Some books 1 chapter at a time, more if time allowed. Most of the time my kids would want me to keep reading. It depended on the story and if it held interest. My 4yr dd loves to be read to, many days we'll go through 4-5 books.

[EKS]

With two kids who are six grades apart I read aloud between 2-3 hours per day.

[meet me in paris]

Not as much as I used to - I think about an hour a day now.

 

We do Sonlight, so I do our main read aloud over lunch on the days that dd11 doesn't have outside class. Those days we do it at night.

 

My older one does all her own reading other than the assigned RA, and my younger one I read her lessons with her.

 

We also have an audiobook going in the car at all times - usually tying in with history studies, but often just a great book. It saves my voice, and keeps the car very, very quiet. :D

[Guest]

My daughter will be fourteen in a few weeks and we still read aloud: always at bedtime, and as often as I can, read nonfiction articles and chapters at lunch. She also listens to books on CD, usually around two to three hours a day.

[mellifera]

I don't read aloud during the day as much as I used to. The older dc can do their own reading, and they often read aloud to dd#2. I read all of them a story before bedtime every night, though. Even the 14yo still likes it (although you might have trouble getting him to admit that).;)

[Halcyon]

Probably 1-2 hours a day and then they listen to an audio cd for another 30-60 minutes.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

We also listen to audiobooks in the car. That does help get in read alouds on days we are a little too busy. We are listening to Henry Huggins right now. We already read the book, but the boys wanted to hear it on CD, too.

[sahm99]

Thank you!

...this is very helpful...I NEED to read-aloud more!!!:001_smile:

[hsmom3tn]

We read aloud every day for our curriculum. It usually takes 30 minutes or more, but if we're really into the book we sometimes read ahead. We also listen to audio books whenever we can.

[Ellie]

I used to read aloud to dds one chapter a day from a good book. I read to them after lunch instead of bedtime because I wanted all of us to be awake, lol.

[cjzimmer1]

I never feel we are doing enough...:001_huh:

 

So, please share, how much, how often, and when do you read aloud?

How structured are you in your readings?:bigear:

 

Never!. Seriously, I hate reading out loud so I just never do it. I honestly can't remember the last time I read to them. So don't feel guilty, just do whatever comfortably fits in.

[bookfiend]

With our history studies, I aim for an hour a day and usually hit it 3-4X a week. With our fun books, we manage about 1-2 hours in the afternoon a couple of days a week. Both my boys, 10 and 7, are good independent readers.

[fishmummy]

Even with my older children...we still read aloud almost every night!

With Scout schedules, church, babysitting etc..we miss some but pick back up as soon as possible.

 

When they were younger..we spent close to two hours a day reading on the couch. I appreciated when my older children took over some of the reading duty...( early teen years)

 

wendy

[fishmummy]

Also..when it is just too much..find a recording and let someone else do the reading for you. Use time in the car letting someone else do your read alouds. It is not a bad thing...some books are just more interesting than others.

 

wendy

[nono]

Our schedule has morphed into the following:

 

-After lunch, usually snuggling in bed -- about 30 min of me reading and another 15 min or so of an audiobook.

 

-At bedtime, another 30 min of me reading and another 15 minutes of an audiobook.

 

So, I guess that adds up to 1 1/2 hrs of read aloud per day. It doesn't feel like that much! :)

[HRAAB]

Feels like all the time. I read aloud after breakfast and lunch. In between there will be different books I will be reading aloud from to my twins. In the afternoon my dd (12 yr old) and I read aloud to one another - currently The Hobbit. I read aloud in the evening to the family.

 

There are certain books I will not read aloud; my dd just asked me to read a Boxcar Children book and I said no. I enjoy reading aloud what I consider beautiful books. Right now I'm reading Pollyanna, Wind in the Willows, The Hobbit, Augustine Came to Kent, and Miracles on Maple Hill.

[Daisy]

Current daily read-alouds include

 

SOTW or library book on topic

City by Macaulay - 11 pgs per day (historical fiction read-aloud)

Galen - chapter a day (science read-aloud)

Bible study - devotional book & Bible reading (we take turns with this though)

A Child's Geography vol. 2 - 3 (tiny print) pages per day

Poetry (again, we take turns)

 

I have to space the above reading out over the course of the day. I have TMJ and my jaw is killing me if I read more than that.

 

At bedtime

Hubby reads a book to son (currently More Paddington Bear)

I read a book to daughter (currently The Children's Homer)

 

Both kids are fluent reading and read a ton on their own so I don't really feel the need to do more than this.

[The Girls' Mom]

About an hour to 1 1/2 hours a day. We use Sonlight, so the read alouds are built in. We read our history aloud, and then a couple of chapters from the current book we are working on. We also read the Bible aloud in the morning, and at night before bed (although my dh does that reading)

[Desert Rat]

Usually an hour of fun reading plus any reading for school like history or history related books, science books, etc.

Right now my little one is really into the series we're reading and I've been spending up to 2 hours a day or until my voice gives out.

[woolybear]

It seems to go in waves around here. Sometimes we read several hours a day. Other times.....not at all.....(she says very quietly). So, I guess it all balances out to about 1 hour plus average??

 

Woolybear

[mcconnellboys]

Well it varies from year to year and even from week to week, depending on what sorts of other activities we have going on. This year, we generally read for about two hours after lunch. If written work gets completed early in the mornings, we get to read more before lunch, too.

[Mopdop]

At this point I am following a read aloud schedule from Winter Promise, in their preK program so we read aloud for about an hr a day from both that and whatever chapter book we have going.

 

Moving into next year, I plan to focus on teaching Sir B to read and do math without a 'package' curriculum, but am worried about not having a read aloud schedule to follow. Any suggestions on where to find a good one for K level? For example, should I borrow a friends Sonlight K IG and use their read aloud schedule?

[lollie010]

We read-aloud about 1 hour a day. I actually like when we are doing more, but it is hard with a 14 month old who likes to throw the book. We usually have a chapter book going and then all the other reading that comes along with literature based learning.

 

The only thing I remember from elementary public school was having a teacher in fourth grade who turned off the flourescent lights and read a book to us after lunch everyday. We even had a little treat, like a popsicle. I will never forget that lady and the sheer pleasure of relaxing with a good book. This is one tradition I intend to take from ps and bring to my home.

[Jenny in Atl]

Between reading to each other and listening to audio bks in the car, I would guess at least 1-2hrs a day. Some days more, some less.

[Erica in OR]

We listen to audio books whenever we're driving somewhere in the car. Piano lessons are 30 min away, so we get in a good chunk there once a week. Otherwise, I have tried to have a read-aloud time and silent reading time every school day in my schedule. It's too much for me/us. I was much happier when I made read-alouds three times a week, and specific silent reading the alternate days. During our read-aloud times at home we do one chapter (or half a chapter, if they're fairly long) from each of three books, so each child has his or her own read-aloud.

 

Erica in OR

[Crissy]

I don't. Ever.

 

Oh, I did plenty of reading aloud before my boys were able to read to themselves, but once they were reading comfortably on their own, I gave it up. I hate reading aloud, and I hate being read to.

 

They both still listen to audio books as they are falling asleep each night, and they read anything they can get their hands on.

 

It makes me happy to know that my aversion to reading aloud didn't stunt their reading lives at all. ;)