Really dumb read aloud question

[delaney]

Okay ladies so I am reading aloud Matilda Bone to go with history based on the Middle Ages. What are they supposed to be "doing" while I read? I feel like the aren't getting it if they aren't just kind of...well paying attention. Also, do you base all of your readings on history? What read alouds are a must have that are NOT history based? Thanks in advance!

[nmoira]

Okay ladies so I am reading aloud Matilda Bone to go with history based on the Middle Ages. What are they supposed to be "doing" while I read? I feel like the aren't getting it if they aren't just kind of...well paying attention.

Most kids can do something else -- e.g. drawing, colouring, a handcraft, stretching exercises -- while listening. A very few, like my youngest, cannot. I usually keep her on my lap.

 

Also, do you base all of your readings on history? What read alouds are a must have that are NOT history based? Thanks in advance!

We usually have one history related read aloud going, one bedtime novel for each child (we have two), and one morning book for everyone. There are such a wealth of wonderful books out there, I'm not sure where to begin with recommendations.

 

I'd start by getting The Read Aloud Handbook from your library, and checking out the Ambleside Online reading lists. There aren't many classics in the former, so they dovetail well. I'm sure others will chime in with their favourite resources.

[kwickimom]

Okay ladies so I am reading aloud Matilda Bone to go with history based on the Middle Ages. What are they supposed to be "doing" while I read? I feel like the aren't getting it if they aren't just kind of...well paying attention. Also, do you base all of your readings on history? What read alouds are a must have that are NOT history based? Thanks in advance!

 

I feel the same way about my kids....if they are "doing" something else while I read I feel like they arent absorbing the info. I tried books on CD and they just dont listen. I have a bunch of visual learners.

[Heidi]

Well, I've been homeschooling for about... 7 weeks. So I'm no expert. I'm also following Charlotte Mason via Ambleside, and my oldest is only 6, so take this for what it is :)

 

Oh yes, my kids better pay attention. Why would I waste my breath reading to no one? I require that my dd narrates back what I just read. I can tell if she wasn't listening because she won't be able to narrate. So I read it again until she can. She knows she has to narrate so she usually sits still and listens. Then again, she is a really easy kid.

 

And no, we don't just read about history. We read fairy tales, Shakespeare, nature stories, stories that teach morals, 50 famous stories, Aesop, poetry, and more. These are books that are challenging and fulfilling. History is definitely not the focus of our reading. In the WTM it is, it seems. At least most reading revolves around the time period you're studying, for the most part. So I guess that's up to you what you want to focus on in your homeschool. For us, history is not as critical. At least not in first grade.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

Okay ladies so I am reading aloud Matilda Bone to go with history based on the Middle Ages. What are they supposed to be "doing" while I read? I feel like the aren't getting it if they aren't just kind of...well paying attention. Also, do you base all of your readings on history? What read alouds are a must have that are NOT history based? Thanks in advance!

Play-doh is a good read aloud go along here, or anything else that is mindlessly manipulative. I like to look at the Writing With Ease selections and the Heart of Dakota packages for literature that isn't going along with history.

[VaKim]

My auditory learner can just sit and listen and absorb it all. However, my youngest is like me, a visual learner. She really must be doing something mindless with her hands in order to actually listen and pay attention. She sometimes draws or plays with blocks (even though she is 12), or even does her dusting and chores close by. If she tries to just sit and listen, her mind wanders. I am the same way. I like to listen to sermons online, but if I try to just sit and listen, my mind wanders, and I will realize that I have not even heard most of what has been said. However, if I go do the dishes, fix supper, sweep, etc., I can listen and pay attention just fine.

[Snickerdoodle]

We all snuggle in my bed for read aloud no matter the time of day.

 

I don't like to do read aloud while sitting for some reason.

[TN Mama]

Last year we had a read aloud that was particularly difficult for my first grader to pay attention to. I ended up giving her a piece of paper and some colored pencils and suggesting that she draw a picture based on what I was reading. She loved that idea! After I finished reading she was able to tell me about her drawing/my reading.

[NanceXToo]

Well, my daughter likes to hang upside down over the edge of the couch while I read. Don't ask me why. My son's not even 5 yet but sometimes he likes to play with toys while I read. Sometimes I think he's not listening but then there are the times he'll burst out with a totally relevant comment to something I just read, all while he's still playing.

[Jen in PA]

My kids usually draw or build with Legos or K'nex while I read or play a book on CD. They still manage to pay attention just fine, and we spend a LOT of time on read-alouds and other listening activities.

[MamaReads]

I find that it actually helps my dc focus when they can keep their hands & bodies still with another task while I'm reading. You've already gotten lots of great suggestions, coloring, legos, blocks, playdoh, dangling, dusting. Find what works for you and your children. Besides a mix of these activities I like modeling wax. It is found with Waldorf craft supplies, comes in many colors, is less messy than play doh, requires more patience, and is a better fine moor work out.

 

Good luck and happy reading!

 

Jesi

[Mallory]

This was something I had to get over too, but mine really do listen okay moving around. They hang all over the couch, switch places a lot, sometimes act out passages, ect.

 

In fact one of my busiest (my 9yo) is really one of my best auditory learners and often has listened the best.

[Wyndie]

My son just sits and listens. My older daughter usually swings (we have an indoor swing) but listens just fine doing that. She needs the movement to concentrate on the story. If she's not swinging she's doing something with her hands but she's always quiet b/c she does want to hear. My youngest (5) often wanders away but many times will just bring her toys to wherever we are and plays on the floor nearby. If I see her starting to "imagine" play, I just let her to go the other room and keep playing there without disturbing us. After a year of school, I will be requiring her to stay nearby and listen quietly but for now she's just practicing so I'm not strict with her.

[....]

Okay ladies so I am reading aloud Matilda Bone to go with history based on the Middle Ages. What are they supposed to be "doing" while I read? I feel like the aren't getting it if they aren't just kind of...well paying attention. Also, do you base all of your readings on history? What read alouds are a must have that are NOT history based? Thanks in advance!

 

Hi, my son rolls all over the floor with his Nerf gun during read-alouds, sometimes they eat, sometimes the 8 yro wraps up in blankets on the floor and watches me read...sometimes I will print out coloring pictures on the theme of what I'm reading and they color. Sometimes I read when they're going to bed at night.

 

Our read-alouds are the Sonlight Read-Alouds from Core 2. We read through the novels (which are mostly historically-themed, but not always) and the History selections (some of these can be more hands-on, tho).

 

Some of our favorites so far...Misty of Chincoteague, 21 Balloons, Indian in the Cupboard, The House of Pooh (as in Winnie the Pooh-lol :lol:), Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Henry Huggins, Cricket in Times Square...

 

Have fun! We love Read-Alouds and I never would have thought they were necessary. I think Read-Alouds are probably my kids' favorite part of the school day (and Snap Circuits, of course).

[texasmama]

I generally sit on the couch with a boy on each side. (They are 7 and 9.) The 9 year old sits still very easily. The 7 year old does couch gymnatics, which I tolerate just fine unless I get kicked in the face. :tongue_smilie:They are both taking in what I am reading.:001_smile:

[texasmama]

Forgot to add that sometimes I will read while they are eating. I have tried reading aloud while I am eating, too, but that didn't work so well.:tongue_smilie:

[Mallory]

It also works really well for us if I read before they get out of bed in the morning, even better than at bedtime.

 

Everyone is so quiet and still and it is so much nicer to read than then at other times!

[Pam in MA]

We're in our seventh year and have always started the day by reading aloud. We usually have one book going for history and one for great books, but sometimes it's all rolled into one.

 

I've found that my kids definitely listen better if they are doing something with their hands. . . they've always colored (often topic appropriate coloring books from Dover), drawn pictures or built models. If they aren't doing something, that's when the attention seems more likely to wander.

[Nestof3]

For books with pictures, like science and history, I require them to look at the book with me.

 

For chapter books, they may draw or color, but I try to find something along the theme. We are reading the Master Puppeteer right now, so I printed about twenty Japanese coloring pages which they color while I read. I ask questions every now and then, and they both seem to be listening just fine.