Read Aloud Time

[kchara]

What do your children do for read aloud time? As in, physically? I thought they (the olders) might do some independent work, but I'm thinking they would be concentrating more on the assignment rather than the story. I have one ADHD and one ADD, so I really need them to do something, there's just no way they'll sit still and listen to me read. (They are 8 and 9.)

 

I also have a 4 year old that will be joining us. I'm thinking coloring for him? Maybe coloring for them all, my olders could definitely use some fine tuning in that department.

 

Also, I was thinking about a morning read aloud with things like Winnie the Pooh, Beatrix Potter, ect. (mostly using the AO lists) for time with my 4 yo (and our 2 year olds that would in theory be listening along), and then later in the afternoon, during nap time, having my older two have another read aloud time with something more appropriate for them. Do you think this would be too much?

[Sew happily ever after]

My kids color or draw or take turns brushing my hair. Lol! :)

Absolutely no talking is allowed. Also no tumbling around & such.

[Chris in VA]

My boys used to just listen. My dd liked to read over my shoulder--beside me, really. She often colored or act it out, if it wasn't too involved.

There's also handwork (knitting, embroidery, crocheting, whittling), legos, blocks, clay/playdough/silly putty...

[NanceXToo]

Usually, they eat. I tend to read aloud at breakfast time and sometimes at lunch time.

[prairiegirl]

My girls usually do crafts (Bendables or Foil Art), colour or play with paper dolls. My ds will either lay on the couch and listen (if it's a really good story) or he will play with his action figures quietly (which is a difficult task.) I don't really care what they do as long as they are quiet.

[melissel]

Mine sit quietly right next to me, on either side. I tried letting them do things, but that distracts DD8 from listening, and if DD5 starts to do something small, it eventually gets bigger and bigger until she's bouncing around the room. It works best for us if they sit and follow along with me on the page.

[joysworld]

Usually, they eat. I tend to read aloud at breakfast time and sometimes at lunch time.

 

Yep! Eating time is a great time for reading out loud, because they are so focused on eating=) I also will let them play quietly on the floor while I read out loud.

[~Kirsten~]

Eating here, too. :D But coloring and play-doh are runners-up.

 

To answer your question, I think your plan of the second read-aloud while the younger rests sounds like a great idea, too.

[kchara]

I did think about mealtimes, but that's just not feasible at the moment. :tongue_smilie: Having their hands and mouths occupied would make it SO much easier! LOL I'm thinking coloring might work. I'm considering buying some of that really cool looking putty stuff that I saw in Timberdoodle, I think. It changed colors as you played with it... anyway, it's supposed to help ADHD kids concentrate, so I thought that might help, too. But, for now, I think I might print off a bunch of Celtic knots and geometric coloring pages for my biggers, and have them do those, and for my little, some pages for whatever character we're reading about.

[Mallory]

I have the best read alouds first thing in the morning, before everyone is out of bed- the three boys all share a room- or they might all stumble into my bed.

 

But where ever we are half asleep works best ;)

[lovelaughs_times_three]

I always tell my kids that they can color as long as it is about something I have read. This actually serves 2 purposes. It gives them something for their fidgety hands to do, and it also reinforces the lesson. I find that some of my children actually seem to get more out of the reading by doing this. Sometimes I also let them use Barbies or action figures to "act out" what they are hearing me reading. Of course, they have to act it out silently. Sometimes all 3 have gotten up to "act out" together something I am reading, if it has a lot of action in it. Again, as long as they don't speak the words out loud, I let them do this. It gets them more actively involved, as well as giving them an outlet for their BOUNDLESS energy!!! :)

[Mallory]

My kids like to act it out too. Also some of my kids do much better if they can have thier own copy to follow along in.

[Heidi]

I have the best read alouds first thing in the morning, before everyone is out of bed- the three boys all share a room- or they might all stumble into my bed.

 

But where ever we are half asleep works best ;)

 

I think this would work for us. I'm re-thinking read-aloud time too. My girls like to lay in bed in the morning; it would be perfect.

[kolamum]

Color

puzzles

draw

bird watch from the window

jump on the trampoline {i sit outside to read to them too}

dishes

fold their required laundry

play quietly with cars

play/build with lego

lay there and imagine the story as I read it

play with guinea pigs

eat a snack

eat lunch

[Mom0012]

It's always legos for my son. My daughter enjoys some building with legos but also drawing, coloring, sticker books, dot-to-dot books, mazes, and knitting. Also, I always do our read-alouds at either breakfast or lunch, so part of the time is spent eating.

 

Lisa

[boscopup]

Audio books in the car - where they can't get away. :D

 

Actually, I usually do read aloud time either snuggled up together on the couch (where they can see what I'm reading), or we do it just before bed (if the toddler cooperates), and they lay around their room or maybe play with some toys. The problem with playing or doing anything while I read is that it's distracting to ME, especially when they start making explosion noises, which they inevitably end up doing. :glare: If I can't hear myself talk over their noises, can they really take in what I'm saying? :confused:

 

My kids just can't use their hands without making explosions (I usually have to remind my sons in church a couple times not to make even quiet explosive noises with the felt animals in the creation and Noah's ark felt books we have :tongue_smilie:).

 

So yeah, I ended up just having to teach my kids to sit still. It's easy for my oldest. My middle son has a lot more trouble (very wiggly 4 year old), but he has improved.

[melissel]

If I can't hear myself talk over their noises, can they really take in what I'm saying? :confused:...

 

So yeah, I ended up just having to teach my kids to sit still. It's easy for my oldest. My middle son has a lot more trouble (very wiggly 4 year old), but he has improved.

 

Whew! I was starting to think I was the only one! I discovered this with SOTW reading. I used to let them do the coloring page while I read, but first there was constant quiet discussion over the crayons (which eventually led to bickering :glare:). Then, after I straightened that out, I found that they couldn't answer a single comprehension question after a short chapter, so I knew they weren't absorbing anything. I still feel so restrictive for not letting them use their hands in some way when I read, especially DD5, but it just doesn't work for us.

[ScoutTN]

Eating here, too. :D But coloring and play-doh are runners-up.

 

This. I read, they eat lunch.

[SnMomof7]

Lego

Coloring

Rolling around on the floor

Sitting on my knee

Laying on my arm as they prepare to nap

Knitting

Drawing

Cutting paper randomly

Modeling clay

[Spock]

What do your children do for read aloud time? As in, physically? I thought they (the olders) might do some independent work, but I'm thinking they would be concentrating more on the assignment rather than the story. I have one ADHD and one ADD, so I really need them to do something, there's just no way they'll sit still and listen to me read. (They are 8 and 9.)

 

 

I have a 10yo and a 9yo. The 9yo has ADHD.

 

Sometimes I let them draw pictures of what I am reading while I read--no free drawing, or they will tune out the reading--especially my ADHD son, who tends to have weak listening skills to begin with.

 

I also stop periodically to ask them to give a quick oral narration--retell the most recent part of the story. This is usually very effective.

 

In addition, I sometimes have all 3 of us take turns reading aloud.

[HLDoll]

We've tried legos and silly putty and coloring and blocks, etc. It would work for a short time, but they the kids would want to start talking about what they were building, or start shooting each other with homemade lego guns. It's not my ideal, but what has been most successful for us is to do read alouds during lunch. I make sure all of their food is ready at the same time and I either eat before or after them. Then I take full advantage of their hands and mouths being busy and read, read, read. It took us several months to get through The Secret Garden trying to read in the afternoons or evenings. But since we started reading at lunch, we've flown through so many books, it's been wonderful. They really miss it when we aren't home for lunch, or a tight schedule rushes things.

[daybreaking]

I'm considering buying some of that really cool looking putty stuff that I saw in Timberdoodle, I think. It changed colors as you played with it... anyway, it's supposed to help ADHD kids concentrate, so I thought that might help, too. But, for now, I think I might print off a bunch of Celtic knots and geometric coloring pages for my biggers, and have them do those, and for my little, some pages for whatever character we're reading about.

 

You know your children best and what would work for them, but I know from my experience as a former special education teacher (having many students with ADD and ADHD), these kinds of activities would be so distracting that they would not focus on the reading. When I used to read aloud to my students with ADD/ADHD, I would simply have them sit in a circle around me and even the most distractible children would listen. What I would recommend would be to have shorter read aloud times, but more frequently. Oh, and I do have to ditto what others are saying about utilizing eating times. That's worked wonders in our home. We read over breakfast, over our morning snacktime, over lunch and over afternoon teatime. On the downside, I think I've made a mental connection for my children that books = eating and I'm not so sure that's good! :tongue_smilie: