Why does reading aloud make me soooo tired?

[JenniferB]

*sigh* :bored::sleep: Don't banish me from TWTM Forum, but I must admit that I don't like it. :sad:

[Ellie]

See, when my dc were read-aloud-to age, I only read one chapter a day aloud, right after lunch. I knew that if I tried to read more, or if I tried to read at bedtime, one or more of us would be bored or fall asleep.:D

[Mad Jenny Flint]

I still read to my high-schooler. He is perfectly capable of reading on his own and understanding, but I find that we do more discussion when reading together, and frankly, it helps me to keep up with him. I read to him from 6 a.m. to about 7ish, then I wake my daughter and we read from about 7:30 until 8 or 8:30. After that, we have chore time and PE, and then I am sitting with my daughter doing lessons and more reading aloud. So basically, I read aloud about 3 hours per day, and sometimes more. I could never have done this much read-aloud time when they were little. I could manage about an hour before I was DONE. My preference was 30 minutes. But, I just worked up to longer and longer periods because I wanted it as part of my homeschool. I want my kids to grow up and recall lots of time spent snuggling on the couch, reading. What I wouldn't give to have those memories of my own education and homelife. So I am giving them what I wish I had had.

[Hockey Mom]

This may sound silly, but I pretend that I'm an actor recording the book for audio. LOL That way, I'm so involved in making sure that the story comes across as dramatic, that I'm not yawning all the way through. ;)

[Crissy]

*sigh* :bored::sleep: Don't banish me from TWTM Forum, but I must admit that I don't like it. :sad:

 

I don't like reading aloud either, Jennifer, and they haven't kicked me out of here yet. ;)

[Daisy]

It isn't my favorite thing to do, although I prefer it to LISTENING to someone else read-aloud.

 

But hey, I do it because my children love it and learn from it, and for me that is the bottom line.

[Rosie_0801]

I don't like it much either, but I expect I'll like it more when my kids are big enough to want to listen :glare: If you pull out a book and the tot hightails out of the room, well, it's bad for morale...

 

;)

Rosie

[Just Robyn]

I don't like it much either. It hurts my mouth. I always have a cup of tea on hand which helps, but I think I'm just not the right person for it either. I still do it, but I think my husband is much better at it and has more fun with it too, so I gladly let him read, and I just listen, whenever possible.

[Mary in NJ]

The only worse than reading aloud, is to listen to a child read to me. There is none of this snuggling on the sofa with kids all around. I'm asleep in no time.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I read aloud at breakfast and lunch time. Reading while I'm eating keeps from getting sleepy.

[Medieval Mom]

This may sound silly, but I pretend that I'm an actor recording the book for audio. LOL That way, I'm so involved in making sure that the story comes across as dramatic, that I'm not yawning all the way through. ;)

 

Me, too! I also find that slowing down and really pronouncing each word perfectly helps me have fun. (Of course, I'm a bit of a geek.) In a way, it really is a very long oral language lesson! :D I really do love reading aloud...:001_wub:

 

To the OP:

Try really seeing each passage vividly in your mind as you read. The more you can engage your imagination and *see* what you are reading aloud, the more your voice will find life, warmth, and dramatic interest. Couple that with good pronunciation (slow down!), dramatic pauses (start out just pausing a little bit after each paragraph for a smidgen longer that you normally would), and interesting character voices and you're on your way.

 

I love reading aloud. I may even have more fun that the boys do :D

 

But if you are bored, STOP. Acquire good audiobooks instead. Boredom is hard to hide. I think I'd rather do just about anything than listen to a bored orator...:sleep: No need to feel guilty. There are so many other wonderful things to do in this world :)

[m0mmaBuck]

The only worse than reading aloud, is to listen to a child read to me. QUOTE]

 

Yup. Painful on both counts.

 

I am a speed reader and I get irritated having to read out loud because I have to read all of the stinking words. I also get irritated because I know DS is daydreaming rather than listening to the stinking story.... He doesn't like to be read to, nor does he like to read himself. I can't stand to listen to my husband read out loud because he is soooo dang slow. And listening to my son read is just... bah!

 

I do it because it's good for us. Like eating your vegetables.

[Matryoshka]

I don't mind reading aloud per se, but if I do it in the afternoon, there is a 100% chance I will pass out mid-sentence.

 

I switched our read-aloud time to bedtime, when I am ironically much more alert.

[EmeraldGirl]

Time of day, perhaps? Trying to read too much at one time? Those are the issues for me. I just don't know how some people have time to read 2-3 hours each day? Now that would be great.

[Garga]

How do you read at breakfast and lunch? Don't you have to be eating? I'm asking because it seems a great time to read while everyone is actually sitting (mostly) still. But, then I have to stop and actually eat. So, I can't read.

 

Or do you scarf down your food and read while the kids are eating?

[Jean in Newcastle]

How do you read at breakfast and lunch? Don't you have to be eating? I'm asking because it seems a great time to read while everyone is actually sitting (mostly) still. But, then I have to stop and actually eat. So, I can't read.

 

Or do you scarf down your food and read while the kids are eating?

 

I eat and read at the same time. So it isn't the best but it works for us. I take a couple of bites, chew. Read a paragraph or two, take a couple of bites, chew, read a paragraph or two . . . I'm usually not eating as much as ds12 so he's still eating even after I'm done.

[lllll]

I have never enjoyed reading aloud. But I did make the effort before our last 3 dc began reading on their own, because we had discovered WTM. The only way I could keep from falling asleep was to do it early in the morning after a good night's sleep, because my own voice puts ME to sleep. But, mostly, I just asked my dh to do all the read alouds. His voice is much louder than mine and he's a talker. I'm not.

 

That and I got them reading on their own as fast as I possibly could without rushing them or frustrating them. :)

 

Now that our youngest is 17yo, when we sit down to read something (usually Bible studies) we go around the table and take turns reading one paragraph each (long paragraphs in our current book). Everyone except me, that is. I still don't like reading aloud. :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: Also BOT's. I had them listening to BOt's a LOT.

Edited March 18, 2010 by ksva

[elise1mds]

I don't mind reading aloud per se, but if I do it in the afternoon, there is a 100% chance I will pass out mid-sentence.

 

I switched our read-aloud time to bedtime, when I am ironically much more alert.

 

 

:iagree: You're not alone there!

[Mom-ninja.]

Tired and my throat starts to hurt. I can talk all day, but reading aloud hurts my throat. :001_huh: