OK, so WHEN do you do your read alouds?

[baybedaul]

Reading the thread with everyone's book selections made me feel like I'm dropping the ball here. We read books during the school day that go along with our history studies (like SOTW or TOG recommendations), our science studies (BFSU or similar recommendations), we go through our early readers, and we read at least 2 books from the library (and a Bible story) every night at bedtime. This seems like quite a bit of reading to me (and if I'm not careful their eyes start to glaze over), but these are virtually all children's books.

 

So we haven't started chapter books yet. I tried a few times to put on some audiobooks, but I couldn't keep the littles still enough to listen. We're not really in the car very often for more than a few minutes at a time and I'd probably just rather read them aloud myself. So two questions really.... WHEN did you start read aloud chapter books (at what age?), and WHEN in your day do you fit it in?

[truebluexf]

At your kids' ages, chapter books were still hit or miss here. But, since you asked, we like curl up in my bed around 7pm to read from our read alouds. I do not read out loud even close to how much you do during the day, fwiw. We read for at least 30 minutes at bedtime, then the older two read in bed for a good while. I find it too hard with a 3yo to settle somewhere during the day and do too much reading aloud. I imagine SOTW this year will mostly be us listening to the audio mp3's instead of me being totally distracted reading. It will be much easier to color and be available while we listen instead.

 

Audiobooks -- it all depends on the reader, too. We got sucked in with Henry Huggins read by Neil Patrick Harris. He's great! But I still think my older got more out of it than my younger.

 

For other chapter books, I'd consider looking at SL's list of chapter books...they have some good ones!

[Alice]

I started consistently with my oldest at 3. We started out reading very small amounts at at time, often not full chapters. We also read a lot of in between kind of books that still had some pictures.

 

I read at lunch every day. I've gotten pretty good at eating at the same time or often I'll eat alone after. That also means I can read one of my own books while I eat my lunch so that works for me. I read from one book at night to my 4 yr old and one to my 7 yr old. We do picture books and other books during the day.

 

We also listen to a lot of audiobooks in the car. But we live in an area where we drive a fair amount. Our library had a lot of collections of fairy tales and things like the Just So stories that worked well for shorter trips.

[GingerPoppy]

I started chapter books when my daughter was around just-turned-five. I used recommendations for first chapter book read alouds from books like Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook (loooove that book!) I think our very first was My Father's Dragon. I've always continued to supplement with picture books as well.

 

As for when, I almost always read at bedtime. Sometimes I used to read while she was in the bath. I often read a lot on days she's sick, throughout the day. And we listen to audio books occasionally in the car (hope to do that a lot more this year... but we are music lovers who like to sing during our car time!)

[SorrelZG]

Currently DH reads to DS after the little ones are in bed each evening as DS has a slightly later bedtime. He's 5 and they're reading through the Chronicles of Narnia together.

[Farrar]

History and science books (even longer ones) in the mornings on the sofa as part of "school." Probably 3x a week for about an hour on average.

 

Chapter book literature in the evenings (occasionally tied to history as historical fiction, but not usually) for about half an hour to an hour every night.

 

Audio books in the car on trips and sometimes other times as well. Also just for fun stuff.

 

ETA: And I will put in a plug again for my favorite first chapter book for read alouds - The Jamie and Angus Stories by Anne Fine. Short, sweet illustrations, gentle story that kids identify with, simple but lovely prose - and it's recent so there's no issue of adjusting to an older storytelling style.

Edited September 1, 2011 by farrarwilliams

[lionfamily1999]

We read aloud during lunch and at bedtime (our "fun" books). I started reading my kids chapter books at around age four. Bedtime, they listen well and fall asleep :p Lunch time, they listen while they eat. They both seem like good times to me :D

 

As far as audio books, we listen in the car, which is nice, but I'll also play the books inside when we're having lazy days and before they started school work, they would listen to the books while they played in their rooms. They don't listen intently, but they do listen and sometimes even get sucked in. I don't worry about them retaining our 'fun' reading. I couldn't tell you too much about the books I read for fun once I'm done with them :lol:

[Soror]

Well, when ds was 5 we were doing pre-k and read-alouds were our 'curriculum' that is what we did to start the day- it was an hr a day. We started w/ the shorter chapter books like 'My Father's Dragon' and various Roald Dahl and others. Last yr we did some to start the day like fairy tales and such and longer ones after lunch. This yr readalouds are generally after lunch time- picture books and then a chapter from our current chapter book.

[Aurelia]

Generally we do reading aloud at bedtime and at the end of the school day. I think I started reading chapter books around age 4, but I tried to keep them high-interest (lots of animal stories, especially horses, for my animal lover) and dropped several that didn't hold her interest. The Sonlight lists are a good start, especially the P3/4 and P4/5 cores for your children's ages.

 

As for audiobooks, Ariel is just now starting to enjoy them. She much prefers having something to look at, even if it's just me reading a page of text.

Edited September 1, 2011 by Aurelia

[MerryAtHope]

We started with some chapter books (still mixed in with picture books) when my oldest was in K. We read these before bedtime (and still do, at 14 & 12!). It's a tradition we all enjoy!

 

Merry :-)

[HappyCamper]

We do read alouds during the middle of the morning as part of language arts. We tend to take long family road trips several times a year. All of us really enjoy listening to a well read book and we look forward to the journey as much as the destination. Our library has a terrific collection. We recently enjoyed the Enola Holmes (Sherlock Holmes' sister) series. But that is more directed at elementary age kids.

[baybedaul]

Ok, well I feel a little bit better. I just darted over to Sonlight and we have read most of the books on the 3/4 list and I have most of the ones listed on 4/5. There's still so many books I have written down from the children's section I want to cover, that I guess I've been putting off moving on. I was concerned after the other thread that we weren't reading Narnia and Lord of the Rings and books like that. I guess it's OK to start with Uncle Wiggily. :)

[Halcyon]

We read aloud in the evening, after dinner, most nights. I read for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the time. I also read SOTW and science books with them in the day, but night time is for our special read aloud. :)

[Kirch]

We started chapter books when ds 1 was 4. I looked for high-interest books with very short chapters (one of the first ones was the My Father's Dragon trilogy). Ds 2 was 2 at the time (almost 3) and it was up to him whether he sat and listened or not. I usually read at bedtime, though, so they were pretty much a captive audience.

 

We still do our non-school-related read-alouds at bedtimes, usually. Sometimes they'll have a bedtime snack while we read; other times, we'll cuddle on the couch. Occasionally (especially if it's a book they're really into) I'll read a chapter during the day while they play with legos or draw. So it's bedtime for sure, with other reading sessions sprinkled in as desired. We still do some picture books too--there are so many wonderful ones I don't want them to miss!

 

We also listen to a lot of books in the car, mostly things that I'm not really interested in reading aloud (like Hank the Cowdog), although we've listened to some wonderful classics as well. We have a 20-minute drive to go just about anywhere but church, though.

[redsquirrel]

With a pre-k and kindy, chapter books are a challenge. I think when my son was about 5 we started with "My Father's Dragon" and then moved on slowly.

 

As they got older, the chapter book read out louds that are specifically for school are read by Daddy before bed. It is one way he gets to participate in homeschooling. It is part of our bedtime routine. Brush teeth, go upstairs, sit in big brother's room and play quietly with Legos while Dad reads a book.

[Mommy22alyns]

Read alouds are done before bed.

 

This doesn't count our science & history readings.

[~Kirsten~]

We started actual chapter books around the time my oldest turned 5 (and her sister was 3). But it was definitely hit-and-miss until we found ones that clicked. I found My Father's Dragon to be a great start for them, and we read it again this summer when my middle child turned 5. For my oldest, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlotte's Web both clicked for her at that age. My then 3-year-old was in and out of the room, occasionally listening but often not.

 

I've found that the best times to read aloud are during meals, while their mouths and hands are otherwise occupied. :D As I have slow eaters, that works out well. Also, sometimes I'll eat before they do, which also works. So I read aloud during breakfast and lunch (chapter books at lunch time). If they're coloring, they tend to listen better and interrupt or wander off less. But meal times are ideal.

 

I wouldn't stress too much, though. In our house, I found there was a huge stretch in attention span between 5 and 6, so as long as you're reading, which you obviously are, it'll happen eventually, especially if you're willing to try a bunch of chapter books and ditch them if they don't work (and by ditch, I really mean set them side until later).

[jenangelcat]

It's hit or miss with my oldest (5). Sometimes she sits for it, sometimes she doesn't. If she's fidgety, I just hand the book over to her and she reads it to herself.

 

We don't have a set time but I might change that soon.

[Food4Thought]

Our reading schedule is much like the OP's. Most of our books are living books or children's books.

 

The only difference is that we started chapter books and longer ones a few years back. Each kid gets to choose one book (usually a picture book) for me to read each night, and my choice is a chapter or two of the longer book. My Father's Dragon is a favorite, as were The Adventures of Tumtum and Nutmeg. We're finishing the Hobbit right now.

[kristinannie]

I have kids the same ages as your kids. Here is what works in my family... If we are reading chapter books, the kids have to be doing something while we are reading. It seems like they aren't listening, but they are! I will read a chapter when they are doing something that doesn't take a lot of brain activity (such as coloring, playing with cars on the floor, playing with something that keeps their hands busy like these, or while they are eating). We read a Bible story every night while they eat their snack before bed. I will often read them a chapter during lunch or while they are coloring during school.

 

Here are some of our favorites so far:

 

My Father's Dragon

Dolphin Adventure (short, but awesome)

Boxcar Children (I especially loved books 2 and 3, but they definitely go downhill from there)

We are about to start Charlotte's Web

[Ecclecticmum]

We started off following Sonlight's schedule, I soon threw that to the backburner (i'm not a jump-around person by nature, so the constant jumping from book to book annoyed me).

 

For now during informal h/s, the only read alouds we do is at bedtime. DH does the bedtime routine, so the books are a mish-mash of assortments, anything from Mater's Tales to Charlie & the Chocolate Factory lol. DH just finished reading Charlie last week, so there now back to shoter picture books for a bit.

 

For next term, we have 1 Picture based readaloud, a 3 chapters of a Chapter book scheduled for each week. Plus whatever DH reads to them of a night (which can be upto 5 picture books or 7 chapters of chapter book). Plus 20 minutes on Mondays & Wednesdays for me to concentrate on readers with A (actually getting her to read to me). This doesn't seem like much compared to others, BUT with SOTW & Science, Geography and other subjects, all of these have extension books we plan to read, so our schedule is quite literature based anyway. The only reason I added readalouds to our schedule is so we could have some "fun" books that aren't tied to any particular subject. We also use the readlouds as jumping off point for movies, docos, youtube searching, and crafts.

 

HTH xxx

[LindaOz]

Well.....

 

We have a 'everybody in' read-aloud time after breakfast and jobs. Then, after lunch, I read-aloud to my teens while the others play.

 

Sometimes I will also read to kids at bedtime as well.

[Satori]

Before this year I would read aloud right before bedtime. We might do some history/science/nonfiction books during the day during schooltime.

 

My daughter prefers writing in her sparetime, but sometimes when she's not with her journal, she'll read her chapter books, such as in the baby grocery cart car at the store, hehe. People always get a kick out of seeing a girl read a big book in a baby cart.

 

Now we do audiobooks all the time because we're always in the car. I am burning through gas and audiobooks, yikes! Good thing we like to drive and listen to them.

[prairiegirl]

With my oldest, I started chapter books when she was 2. She would bounce on her bed while I read the Little House books. With my other two, I started when they were 4. We started with Ramona books and then moved our way up to Charlotte's Web and Winnie the Pooh.

 

Our read aloud time has changed quite a few times over the years. It just depended what worked with what age group. Right now we read first thing in the morning, right before seat work. It works well to gather everyone together. I also get more reading done because the kids try to prolong school by asking mom to read 'just one more chapter,please?'

[VA6336]

Lunchtime. Hands and mouths are busy. I snack while fixing their lunch and then eat a "real" lunch after they've gone down for resting/reading time in the afternoons. I'm one of those crazy moms who doesn't care how old they are or whether or not they want to sleep: everyone goes to their bed and stays there quietly. The older girls read they own chapter books or plays with their little bitty dolly toys and the youngest sleeps. Anyway, I read to them from longer books (right now it's Dr. Doolittle, next up is Little Britches) during lunch and sometimes during an afternoon snack.

[baybedaul]

I really don't know how so many of you are getting in so much reading. I felt like we were doing so much and now I just feel behind. :( I guess our nighttime routine needs some work. I might also try the lunchtime reading... they have a tendency to jabber and goof off and drag lunch out most days, so maybe I could help focus them a little bit. I do appreciate all the info and advice though. And it definitely sounds like My Father's Dragon is a winner!

[warneral]

My kids get so much reading and school work, that I save the readalouds for before bed. They typically "want to stay up" and read on to more chapters. They would barely be able to listen during the day (the way our schedule and experience level is I should add). So we try to read from our readalouds before bed.

 

We are really finding that listening to stories in the car is SO enriching. In fact, the kids pick this over watching the DVD player! I think they like that we are all able to experience the story together!

[NanceXToo]

Meal times. I read while the kids eat breakfast pretty much every day and often during lunch. If we hadn't finished enough pages during the day, I sometimes read more before bed if I'm not feeling too tired. Sometimes my daughter will read aloud in the car, too.

[rwjx2khsmj]

In our family, the read alouds seem to follow the interest/ability of the oldest. My youngest daughter has been listening to chapter books since birth. My oldest daughter probably listened to her first chapter book when she was five or six.

 

We listen to books in the car and I read aloud daily. My read aloud time is in the morning, after breakfast and bible study but before we get into the busyness of the day. I try to pick books that everyone can understand and enjoy but I don't always cater to the youngers. I expect them to listen and ask questions if they don't understand something. I'm not sure that's fair or appropriate but it's the way it is in our house.

[justamouse]

I do a family read aloud at breakfast, we do a story during the day (yes, even the olders listen in because it's fun, and reemphasizes the foundation of their later studies) and then I read a story or two at night.

 

In the morning we read through The Wonder Clock, Robin Hood, and King Arthur last year.

 

At night we made it through Beatrix Potter twice, Pooh, and a few books on saints and now we're reading Tomie DePaola's Bible Stories.

 

that's in addition to any of their own reading and school reading.

 

I really don't know how so many of you are getting in so much reading. I felt like we were doing so much and now I just feel behind. :( I guess our nighttime routine needs some work. I might also try the lunchtime reading... they have a tendency to jabber and goof off and drag lunch out most days, so maybe I could help focus them a little bit. I do appreciate all the info and advice though. And it definitely sounds like My Father's Dragon is a winner!

 

 

With the age of yours, if I had to go back and do it all over again, I would invest in excellent picture books and read them all the time so that the stories became memories for them. Like, for instance, I really wish that my Dd16 had read Caedmon's Song when she was little, so that when she read a bit on him later, in her Medieval studies, she would have that book ad those pictures in her head to recall. Those beautifully illustrated children's books are very, very important.

Edited September 2, 2011 by justamouse

[baybedaul]

 

With the age of yours, if I had to go back and do it all over again, I would invest in excellent picture books and read them all the time so that the stories became memories for them. Like, for instance, I really wish that my Dd16 had read Caedmon's Song when she was little, so that when she read a bit on him later, in her Medieval studies, she would have that book ad those pictures in her head to recall. Those beautifully illustrated children's books are very, very important.

 

I really appreciate this bit. I totally understand the value of longer read alouds, but we're having so much fun with our children's books and I really feel like we're getting so much out of them. (Until I scroll through that other thread and I get hit in the gut with a massive inferiority complex!)

[desiraejb]

We read a chapter or two at a time during school time or at bed time.

[justamouse]

I really appreciate this bit. I totally understand the value of longer read alouds, but we're having so much fun with our children's books and I really feel like we're getting so much out of them. (Until I scroll through that other thread and I get hit in the gut with a massive inferiority complex!)

 

They are too little for you to be feeling that inferior all ready. That is your highly tuned sense of parental duty kicking in, but it's a bit early. Feed it some chocolate. :D

[Kirch]

I really don't know how so many of you are getting in so much reading. I felt like we were doing so much and now I just feel behind. :( I guess our nighttime routine needs some work. I might also try the lunchtime reading... they have a tendency to jabber and goof off and drag lunch out most days, so maybe I could help focus them a little bit. I do appreciate all the info and advice though. And it definitely sounds like My Father's Dragon is a winner!

 

It's a process. You add this in here, move that around there, and figure it out as you go. Deciding what you're going to read and having it in hand is a good way to start too--it's much easier to pick it up at a moment's notice.

 

That, and my house is a mess. Something's gotta give! ;) But seriously, don't feel like you're behind. Your kids may not be ready--and that's okay. Or they may be ready, but what you're doing right now is working--and that's okay. The chapter books aren't going anywhere, and it sounds like things are going beautifully with the picture books. Be purposeful about it and make a start on chapter books if you want to, but don't rush it just because "everyone else" is doing it. Those picture books are still filling your childrens' minds with wonderful stories, lots and lots of words, images and illustrations . . . all of that is incredibly valuable. You're also developing their attention spans, which is crucial for reading longer, more complex books (with few or no illustrations!).

 

There are also picture books with much more text that can help with the transition. A few that come to mind are the Billy and Blaze series by C. W. Anderson, The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame, and some of Patricia Polacco's books (although some of her subjects are more appropriate for older kids--definitely pre-read).

[veggiegal]

I started with my older when he was 4, and younger started listening in when he was 5. My best tips for early days are to keep the sessions short, and try reading aloud to them while they are otherwise occupied. Mine did well listening while they had a morning snack or their lunch. Other good times were after dinner / before bed, after a break in our homeschool day to 'settle down' (like after a class, or a trip to the playground), or when they were in the tub. You might also want to have a look at series that are a cross between picture books and chapter books, like Franny K Stein or Dinosaur Cove. Yeah, neither is the highest quality literature, but they serve their purpose as a bridge to simple chapter books (Magic Tree House, Cam Jansen, etc.) and then beyond. Another strategy is to find books with movie adaptations, and watch the movie afterwards. We did this with Charlotte's Web, Ramona and Beezus, and The Water Horse last year.

[SnMomof7]

We read at together time when we start school, at nap time, and at bedtime :).

[LillyMama]

We have a very similar curriculum schedule and age group as you do, and I totally relate. For what it's worth, we do our read-alouds all at once, regardless of topic. I have made a Mom's Choice reading time for 30-45 minutes in the morning, then Kids' Choice for that same amount of time before bed. During Mom's Choice, we'll read some TOG, SOTW, science or other curriculum-based book (and sometimes we sneak in a kid's book...) This usually allows me to get each of the suggested "school" books read at least twice if not three times in the week. (I've found that the activities for TOG, SOTW and our science projects aren't so inter-dependent on the readings that we need to keep them together. Meaning I don't feel the need to read the TOG book right before we do the salt map...) The Kids' Choice reading time tends to go on longer than it should, so you'd think we'd be through tons of chapter books by now. But we've had a hard time finding time for chapter book time because my kids like different things. This is the only part of their education that they seem to want separate and I have SUCH a hard time fitting in one-on-one time for extended readings of their chapter books. Even though they beg for it.

 

I will say this- I am going to try to chapter-book reading over lunch like others have suggested. And here's my confession- my kids have only recently shown interest in chapter books because I found the right ones. We struggled (painfully) through Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, the Velveteen Rabbit and tried a few more, like the Wizard of Oz series, with horrible results. But now my son BEGS me to read him from the Wimpy Kid books and my daughter loves Junie B Jones. These aren't the sophisticated, high-brow books I'd like us to read. But we're just reading with our training wheels on, so to speak. I figure we get them through ANY chapter book in an enjoyable way and we'll be ready to move onto more sophisticated ones. So, long, rambling point is this- the right chapter book can change everything.

[FairProspects]

I really don't know how so many of you are getting in so much reading. I felt like we were doing so much and now I just feel behind. :( I guess our nighttime routine needs some work. I might also try the lunchtime reading... they have a tendency to jabber and goof off and drag lunch out most days, so maybe I could help focus them a little bit. I do appreciate all the info and advice though. And it definitely sounds like My Father's Dragon is a winner!

 

Do you do a quiet time in the afternoon? Reading at bedtime doesn't work for us, I want to be done with parenting by then :lol:.

 

But after lunch & recess (running around in the backyard) we all settle in for "book time" and I can usually read for quite awhile, which calms everyone down and then they go to quiet time for a couple of hours.

[laughing lioness]

We read every night before bed and have for 23 years.

We read in the afternoon. My kids listen to books on tape, history CD's in the afternoon.

[kristin0713]

Immediately after lunch, they have "Reading-Resting" time. They can read alone, browse picture books, do a quiet puzzle or rest. After 30 min or so (or more, if they are engaged in what they are doing OR if they happen to fall asleep) I read aloud to them. We also read a few books at bedtime, but that is very light Berenstain Bears type reading.

[Critterfixer]

Typically, I will pick one read-aloud book that is just for reading. We don't usually narrate on it or use it for copywork. I will also pick out a shorter, heavily illustrated story for my very visual boys to narrate. This might go with the history theme, or might not.

Our read aloud chapter book (The Five Children and It right now) is usually done right before lunch. By then I need a cup of tea and they need a break after math, grammar, reading, phonics, spelling, copywork and narration. So we curl up while lunch is fixing and read our book.

We also do a bedtime reading every night, and sometimes that is another chapter book, or it might be several picture books.

I'd rather miss grammar and spelling before I'd miss our read-alouds. I need the break!

[FO4UR]

We read a bit to start our day, for breaks during our morning, after quiet time, before bed.

 

We average about 2 hours daily. (20min here and 30min there adds up quickly.) On a nice day, we may only read before bed. (We have to get outside while the sun is shining.) During a long cold winter, we may log 3+ hours reading. (What else is there to DO anyway...)

[skueppers]

My kids have very limited patience for listening to read-alouds, so for the most part, we aren't reading chapter books out loud right now. My daughter prefers to read chapter books for herself.

 

Anyway, I read history and stories for 10-15 minutes during our morning circle time; my daughter is usually OK with it and my son is bored out of his mind.

 

I read entries from a German children's encyclopedia over dinner. She likes it, he is bored.

 

At bedtime, she usually reads to herself and an adult reads to him. As far as I can tell, he is far more interested in the pictures than in listening to the words. No matter how passionately interested in the topic he is, his eyes glaze over if there are too many words to listen to.

 

Obviously, these kids are not auditory learners. I would gladly read for long periods of time, but that just doesn't work here.

[baybedaul]

They are too little for you to be feeling that inferior all ready. That is your highly tuned sense of parental duty kicking in, but it's a bit early. Feed it some chocolate. :D

 

Quite possibly the best homeschooling advice I've ever received. :laugh:

 

I spewed all this out to my DH today and when I explained that I felt behind, he looked at me like I was a crazy person (sometimes I need that - ha!). But I'm grateful for these threads, because I do think it's time to add some longer stories into the mix and it just wasn't something that had really occurred to me to start at this age. Yeah, I know it's in TWTM, but no one ever read a chapter book to me as a child and when the audio books didn't work out last year I just never revisited the idea. I really appreciate hearing from so many others with similar curricula and/or similarly aged children. Bedtime here is so nuts and my kids just seem SO DONE by the end of the day. I think we'll keep our children's/picture books and the bible story for right before bed, they really like picking from our library haul. But I'm going to try starting our school day with a chapter book read aloud. I've been starting with math for the last year because it seemed to make sense to me to begin with the heavier stuff. But since starting back to school this year, we've kinda been dragging our feet to get our mornings started... especially my daughter and I think it's because when we start with math I have to spend a lot more one on one time with my son right from the beginning. I think if we snuggle up on the couch (or even if I read to them while they play quietly - great idea!), we might be more likely to start our days earlier. With any luck, the read alouds will be a hit and I can give lunchtime reading a go as well.

 

And based on a few other comments, I also ordered Jim Trelease's book on read alouds. Tons of great reviews and as another poster mentioned, having the next book selected will make this a lot more pick-up-and-go for me. I'm the type that would spend more time fretting over WHAT to read than time spent actually READING it. :rolleyes:

[hollyh]

started chapter books at 4.5. probably could have started earlier. she seems to have enjoyed the magic treehouse ones best- could comprehend them easily.

[Guest]

Do you do a quiet time in the afternoon? Reading at bedtime doesn't work for us, I want to be done with parenting by then :lol:.

 

 

 

Oh, this is so me! :D Reading before bed is a goal I want to one day attain but at this point, I'm too tired and it doesn't get done. What does work for us is right before rest time in the afternoon. It gets the kids to settle down before our "quiet" time.

[Hwin]

Read-alouds that are just for the sake of reading occur at bedtime. I do it even if I'm yawning every other sentence; it's been a routine for about a year now.

 

Read-alouds associated with science or history subjects occur during schooling. (today we read about why leaves change color in the fall, and read a few Egyptian myths.)

 

He also reads to me, either at bedtime, or during the day.

[JudoMom]

I read their first chapter book when my older two boys were 4 & 3. I didn't think they'd heard a word of it, but last year when I got Indian in the Cupboard as an audio book for a road trip (this was the book I'd read), they were both excited because they love that book (they told me the high points of the story). They were 11 & 10 at the time of the trip.

 

I didn't start consistently reading chapter books until 2006 or 2007, though. I read a chapter from our family read aloud almost every evening before bed (around 8 or 8:30).

[Sahamamama]

IMO, your children are on the young side for chapter books, other than books with the shortest of chapters (e.g., Frog & Toad, Henry & Mudge), although last year my (then) K'er was able to sit through a few longer chapter books (e.g., Charlotte's Web, Misty of Chincoteauge, Heidi).

 

The girls have listened to audiobooks before bedtime now for years, and I think that this has helped them to have a longer listening span for when we do read chapter books.

 

As for fitting it all in, anyone can make a list, right? Don't be intimidated by the lists of other people, but do what is right for your children and your family. Read for pleasure.... not so you can check off a box. Read as a parent.... not merely as a teacher. Enjoy the journey.

 

HTH.

[Joyoflearning]

My daughter loves to read and would read the 30 some picture books that I would check out of the library each week. We have lots of picture books and early readers at home that she will read over and over again. She loves Henry and Mudge, Amelia Bedelia, etc.. and has for a long time. When I read to her, she wants me to read these familiar stories to her. I wanted to do read alouds that were longer like The complete tales of Winnie the Pooh and Charlottes Web, but she had not been interested- (even though she can handle it and has the attention span for it-maybe the books look too thick). Recently I went to a bookstore and an eight year old girl saw the Madeline book in my hand and said it was too babyish for her. It never occurred to me that someday my daughter would not want to read picture books. This made me a bit sad. Now I'm thinking I want to expose her to as many picture books and stories as I can before she's no longer interested. We may try Charlotte's Web since DD just turned 5 but I'll continue to get her the picture books. (We do a read-aloud through HOD though. Also I get library books that relate to what we are talking about for History and Science. DD reads them or will bring them to me to read in her spare time-she doesn't know it's part of school-shhh!).