How do you do read alouds...

[shusband]

In an ideal world, I'd like to keep up a read aloud for ds7, a read aloud for ds5, a literature read aloud and a daily picture book for ds3. If I go with this plan, then we would start the year reading Winnie the Pooh, Red Sails to Capri, Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne and a daily (short) picture book. That little radar in the back of my mind that says - "You're going to make yourself crazy!" is starting to go off.

 

How do you do this? I have guilt that I gear too much towards ds7 and the other guys get the shaft. Should I alternate between ds7 appropriate books and ds5 appropriate books and keep the literature read aloud.

[Embassy]

You can do it that way. I have two boys that are 2 years apart and I have done read alouds together (mostly geared toward the older son). I am splitting them up for read alouds this coming year because they are more than 2 years apart in listening skills. I think it will work better and they will both enjoy one on one time. While one is listening to a read aloud the other will likely be doing something independent on the computer.

[JMDRAD]

I really don't think your goals are unreasonable. I use Sonlight Core 2 for my dd7, Sonlight P4/5 for my dd4, and various board books for the baby (when she'll sit still LOL). We spend about an half and hour a day doing read alouds. I'll read to them while they color or do some hand activity. I also do a little reading at night before they go to bed.

[Cranberry]

I have a 7, almost 5 and 2 yo.

 

I have a read aloud going for the 2 olders. We go back and forth picking ones that one or the other would be more drawn to. I make sure I still get individual reading time to each one separately for one-time-sitting picture books, if that makes sense. We do our read-alouds often at lunch time or when 2yo is napping. Then when 7yo does his solo free reading, I have time to read to 5 yo and have him read to me as well.

 

We really haven't found that any read aloud has not been appropriate for both the 7 and 5 yo.

 

Some of our most recent for the older ones have been:

Wind in the Willows

My Father's Dragon (series)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlotte's Web

Cricket in Times Square

Railway Children

 

HTH

[Hedgehogs4]

In an ideal world, I'd like to keep up a read aloud for ds7, a read aloud for ds5, a literature read aloud and a daily picture book for ds3. If I go with this plan, then we would start the year reading Winnie the Pooh, Red Sails to Capri, Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne and a daily (short) picture book. That little radar in the back of my mind that says - "You're going to make yourself crazy!" is starting to go off.

 

How do you do this? I have guilt that I gear too much towards ds7 and the other guys get the shaft. Should I alternate between ds7 appropriate books and ds5 appropriate books and keep the literature read aloud.

 

i read what everyone enjoys...and my younger dd 5 usually enjoys everything that we like though on her own level. we have read missionary stories, the Little Britches series by Ralph Moody, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Winnie the Pooh, the Bible...i just read what we like at any given point. sometimes I am reading to them several times a day, though it's not intentional. it just works out that way. other days I don't read to them at all...like now. I told them I'm on a sabbatical for a bit because it does weary me to read so much out loud. in another week or so I'll pick up another book. :001_smile: We just finished book five in the Ralph Moody series, and then the Gladys Aylward biography. Don't over think it...just read to your heart's content.

[FlutterbyMommy]

I have one child (5), but try to mix it up. We read classic stories and picture books. I try to divide it throughout the day. Usually Bible in the morning,topical in the day (dealing with history in our curriculum), and more fun picture books etc. in the evening before bed. My goal is around 2 hours of reading aloud each day.

 

I think a 5 year old would benefit from what you read geared toward the 7 year old.

[MerryAtHope]

My kids are two years apart and I've always read the same book to both of them. When they were 7 & 5, I alternated--I would read a chapter book even though my 5 yo wasn't that into them yet--but gradually she paid attention more. And when that book was done I would read some story/picture books next--my 7 yo still enjoyed those. Then I'd move on to another chapter book etc... Have fun with it! You can read something short & easy for the 3 yo first (which the other two may still enjoy anyway) & then go into a longer book for the other two, and probably still have a RA time of only 30 minutes or so. We always do RA's before bedtime.

 

BTW, we loved Red Sails to Capri! Make sure you google pictures of the blue grotto online to show your kids! Merry :-)

[Mallory]

My two oldest are 1 1/2 years apart and I wouldn't worry about different read alouds for each of them. I also usually only do one read aloud for each level.

 

So I might have a read aloud with sis (9th grade) 1 read aloud for the boys (3rd and 4th) and picture books for the two littles. For the boys we just take turns picking, so this book L might have picked then the next one M might pick then I would pick a history/literature book. Of course everyone usually listens to all the books I read.

 

When they were 5 and 7 I even kept historical books to picture books.

 

 

We read picture books often throughout the day (and now the three big kids can read books to the two littles). But with my boys I have found one of the best times to get some quality read aloud time in is before they get out of bed in the morning. It works much better than at bedtime for us!

[prairiegirl]

I have separate read alouds for each child plus a family read aloud. I just incorporate our reading times into our schedule. For ex. when I am doing seat work with my youngest, at the end of our time together we have our read aloud. I do it separately because there are are books that my oldest is ready for that would bore my two youngest to tears. Conversely, there are books that I have read to my oldest that my youngest was too young to remember and I want her to know the book. Yes, she can read it when she is older but it just isn't the same thing to my way of thinking.

[Closeacademy]

I have one main read aloud. I read this to both girls at bedtime or breakfast.

 

My oldest has a book that she is reading and we go over the chapter that she read the day before at the beginning of her lessons for the day.

 

With my youngest, I read her a poem each day and sometimes we have a short book that goes with her lessons and I read it as a part of her lessons.

 

:001_smile:

[Karis]

In an ideal world, I'd like to keep up a read aloud for ds7, a read aloud for ds5, a literature read aloud and a daily picture book for ds3. If I go with this plan, then we would start the year reading Winnie the Pooh, Red Sails to Capri, Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne and a daily (short) picture book. That little radar in the back of my mind that says - "You're going to make yourself crazy!" is starting to go off.

 

How do you do this? I have guilt that I gear too much towards ds7 and the other guys get the shaft. Should I alternate between ds7 appropriate books and ds5 appropriate books and keep the literature read aloud.

 

 

combined reading

 

sometimes my oldest will read - sometimes the youngest will read. If I read aloud to oldest then the youngest would listen and do coloring pages. I've also given the youngest head phones and books on tape that I recorded so it's still ME reading - then we'd talk about her art/ coloring pages and review what she heard. Sometimes I get get a book on tape at the library or an audio book. Our library aslo has a book line where the child can call in and hear a story.

 

I also have a separate Literature time with each of them included in our schedule.

 

If I save reading until nighttime I fall asleep mid story so it has to happen during the day. Or VERY early in the evening.

[MissKNG]

I combine picture books for both girls during the day and read a chapter book to my big girl before bed. Right now, we are reading the last Ralph S Mouse book. Charlotte's Web is next on the list!

[texasmama]

I have boys two years apart and have always combined them with readalouds (using the older one's Sonlight Core readalouds). The little one gets her own readalouds, though she often listens as much as she is able to the boys' readalouds. This has worked well for us. Sometimes my younger son is not all that engaged, and that is fine. I allow a lot of wiggling and moving about from him. As he gets older, this is going away somewhat.

[lollie010]

In an ideal world, I'd like to keep up a read aloud for ds7, a read aloud for ds5, a literature read aloud and a daily picture book for ds3. If I go with this plan, then we would start the year reading Winnie the Pooh, Red Sails to Capri, Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne and a daily (short) picture book. That little radar in the back of my mind that says - "You're going to make yourself crazy!" is starting to go off.

 

How do you do this? I have guilt that I gear too much towards ds7 and the other guys get the shaft. Should I alternate between ds7 appropriate books and ds5 appropriate books and keep the literature read aloud.

 

Don't have any answers. We have really been having a hard time getting read alouds in because the little guy (18 mos.) takes whatever we are reading and throws it across the room. So sorry no advise.....

 

I really just wanted to give you a big hello from 'Bama. Its good to see you here.

 

Laurel T.

[MerryAtHope]

Conversely, there are books that I have read to my oldest that my youngest was too young to remember and I want her to know the book. Yes, she can read it when she is older but it just isn't the same thing to my way of thinking.

 

I had that happen but I just re-read the book to both when my youngest was older--the oldest enjoyed hearing it again (and I enjoy reading favorites again). I agree, there's something about the shared experience. When I pre-read my kids' readers now (they are going into 8th & 6th), I sometimes find it hard to let certain books be readers--because I want to be there with them at certain scenes!

 

Merry :-)

[nmoira]

When do you read? Can/does your DH help out by reading to one or more of the kids at bedtime or after dinner? As for guilt, you might be surprised what the youngers (particularly your 5yo) might pick up from your 7yo's read alouds.

 

I just have two kids (8 and 6). They each have their own bedtime books, and there's a pre-breakfast read aloud for both together. I also usually have a history read aloud for DD the Elder. DD the Elder get additional picture books as we can fit them in.

[momto2Cs]

I read a short story type read aloud in the mornigs. Then later we read for science and/or history. When I am home in the evenings (I work outside the home), we read from a chapter book. During the day, ds also reads to himself (from a chapter book), and if I have time, I read an extra story or two to my dd.

[samba]

My kids are only 21 months apart chronologically (dd10, ds soon to be 9) but very far apart developmentally...dd has always been advanced and ds has global delays (Down Syndrome). I worry about the same issues but mostly I have found that if I am enthusiastic about the book, they both enjoy it. I make sure ds8 gets a lot of picture books throughout the day (science, history and pre-quiettime books are handled through picture books for him) and the main read-aloud is geared toward dd10. There were some books I thought he'd never sit still for but he enjoyed them...Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, The Big Wave, Li Lun, etc. Now, I am transitioning to some chapter books at bedtime for him because we read them as read-alouds so long ago that he doesn't remember them...Little Pear, Little House series...and dd10 is upset because she wants to hear them again, too! I'm just glad they love good books. :001_smile: There's a point here, somewhere, lol. Don't worry about it. Just keep reading great literature and they'll all get something out of it.

 

Carolyn

[Joyofsixreboot]

I do usually have a read aloud each for 6 and 9. We snuggle and read for a bit in the evening for their alone time. The 2 to gets a picture book with me (and lots of other people read to her too). We do a "school" read aloud together and I usually gear it to the 6yo. I will admit that though they would listen longer I usually stick to about 15 minutes per session.