I feel like I'm wasting my time

[Chava_Raizel]

I've always thought it was important to read aloud to my children, so since they were small, we've always had a book going. From picture books to chapter books to poetry, I read aloud something to them nearly every single day.

 

So, why is it that they have the attention span of a gnat?! I just finished reading a fairly exciting chapter in If All the Swords in England and not one of my children could tell me a single thing about what happened. Nothing. They couldn't even remember whether the characters were in France or England.

 

This is not the first time this has happened. I have the hardest time getting them to pay attention. Usually my 12 year old is the only one who can even give me a basic narration.

 

What am I doing wrong? I've tried letting them play with silly putty or draw, and that doesn't seem to make a difference. If anything it draws their attention even further away from what I'm reading.

[mama25angels]

My ds is the same way, BUT if I ask him questions about the chapter he can answer them all day long. I also model narrations for him alot! Not saying you don't, but maybe doing that would help them a bit as well.

[Chava_Raizel]

I've tried asking them questions...I get a lot of blank stares.

[mama25angels]

I've tried asking them questions...I get a lot of blank stares.

 

 

You may have to stop periodically throughout the chapter to see what they remember, i've had to do that too.

[leeannpal]

I agree with the pp about breaking the information up. Young kids really do have the attention span of a gnat, but, you are building up a foundation of listening and interacting with good literature that will last a lifetime. You aren't wasting your time:grouphug:

[threeturn]

We are just starting narration (more CM style, though I am not above throwing in a question or two to move things along). A couple of things that have helped my DD are reading only two sentences and then having her tell back and also making a list of key words on the white board, read a selection, then she can look at the keywords while narrating. The first time we did that she told me it really helped her.

[mom31257]

My ds told me this morning he would remember more if I just let him read it himself. When I ask questions from SOTW (reading orally to him), he never remembers as much as he does from his reading that he does himself (BJU reading program). I don't know if that's a bad thing or not.

[Ellie]

Well, you know, when you're sitting all warm and fuzzy and reading a good book to them, do you need to ask them questions? Do they have to narrate back to you? Can't you just enjoy the moment, and save the questioning and narrating for more specific Official School Time?

[stripe]

One chapter may be too long. If you read Charlotte Mason, she covered very brief sections with her students, and SWB also begins with very short sections.

 

If you want narration practice, try something short, like an Aesop fable. Also then try something like A short fairy tale.

 

I also find certain books just bore them. I had the same thing happen last year at the end of Understood Betsy, when the little boy gets all the new stuff and is taken in by the rich man, they seemed fuzzy on what happened. Other books, they talk and talk about. Either way, they aren't getting it, and clearly need more practice.

 

And also, sometimes my mind wanders when listening to someone read aloud. I also have outsourced additional read aloud time to books on CD and Librivox, because I physically cannot read as many hours a day as my children would like.

 

And -- does everything need to be narrated?

[Spock]

I've always thought it was important to read aloud to my children, so since they were small, we've always had a book going. From picture books to chapter books to poetry, I read aloud something to them nearly every single day.

 

So, why is it that they have the attention span of a gnat?! I just finished reading a fairly exciting chapter in If All the Swords in England and not one of my children could tell me a single thing about what happened. Nothing. They couldn't even remember whether the characters were in France or England.

 

This is not the first time this has happened. I have the hardest time getting them to pay attention. Usually my 12 year old is the only one who can even give me a basic narration.

 

What am I doing wrong? I've tried letting them play with silly putty or draw, and that doesn't seem to make a difference. If anything it draws their attention even further away from what I'm reading.

 

My youngest can't narrate anything he listens to. He has to read along over my shoulder. Alternatively, he does okay if the 3 of us take turns reading a paragraph or so aloud. I have pretty much eliminated read alouds, except for books that he and/or his sister have trouble understanding alone. For those books, we read together, making sure he can see the book even when someone else is reading. (I also have to stop frequently to ask him to narrate, or he will remember little to nothing.)

[poetic license]

Well, you know, when you're sitting all warm and fuzzy and reading a good book to them, do you need to ask them questions? Do they have to narrate back to you? Can't you just enjoy the moment, and save the questioning and narrating for more specific Official School Time?

 

:iagree:

 

FWIW, I'm a lot better at comprehension when I read something myself. And for some reason I can follow an audio class much better than someone IRL reading a book. Go figure.

[Hedgehog]

It sounds to me like they may well not be auditory learners, if they retain nothing from what they hear. Have you tried letting them read the same passage/chapter by themselves, and then asking them the same kind of questions?

 

Or, it could just be that they have developed a habit of not concentrating on what they hear, in which case I would start with very small chunks followed by questions and discussion.

 

Another possibility is that they don't want to speak up in a group - this is unlikely seeing as you are all family, but it is possible. In that case I'd do the reading and questions individually.

 

But ultimately I agree with Ellie. I was listening to one of SWBs audio lectures recently and in it she said that kids should definitely have time to just enjoy reading without having to answer questions and discuss what they've read.

 

HTH!

[Chava_Raizel]

Oh, I wasn't looking for a narration...just making sure they were following the story. I stop every couple of pages to make sure they're keeping up. But they're not.

 

I only really ask for true narrations maybe once or twice a week, and that's usually from a book that they are reading. For read alouds, I've always tried to keep it enjoyable. But it seems that unless I'm reading something cartoony and silly they can't follow along.

 

I just feel frustrated that I spend 20-30 min. reading to them and they have no idea what I just said.

[zenjenn]

I am curious how you have conducted reading in the past to your children.

 

Ellie asked:

Well, you know, when you're sitting all warm and fuzzy and reading a good book to them, do you need to ask them questions? Do they have to narrate back to you?

 

My answer is, YES! If they can't remember anything - if you are just background noise, then it's not a "good book" to them. It's not "warm and fuzzy" to them.

 

To me, from the earliest, earliest ages, reading to my children has been interactive - not them just passively listening to me read. Even with the earliest picture books, it was "Do you see the bunny? What is he doing?", so they were narrating back what I read to them by describing the action they saw visually in the picture. And then, as we progressed, the question and answer component got more and more sophisticated, yet less frequent.

 

Now, even though my older one (age 9) is an excellent listener, there are still books - school-related mostly - that due to the content require more vigorous questions.

 

You might want to re-think your selections. Go back to E.B. White or something more digestible, or pick something they are excited about, like Harry Potter.

[dragons in the flower bed]

I would start with stopping after every paragraph to get a recap. When they can do that, go on to every page. It will kill the joy of it for a little while, but not long. Once they're listening they'll get a lot more out of it!

[stripe]

Oh, I wasn't looking for a narration...just making sure they were following the story. I stop every couple of pages to make sure they're keeping up. But they're not.

 

Is the book too hard?

[justLisa]

I don't do many read alouds anymore, actually. DS is a bigger fan of non-fiction. He likes reading about explorers. DD likes fairy tales but is not a reader yet. I read aloud to DD, and DS prefers to read on his own. This is for "reading time." Aside from audio lectures, I can't stand when people read to me LOL. Well, except my kids.....I love to hear them read. I read aloud our history, and some science things, along with WWE passages, and other matter. So I guess what I'm saying is we don't read stories aloud right now. Maybe you could find some short stories, or other things to capture the interest, and then go back to an official chapter book at a later date. Nothing bad is going to happen if you don't read aloud together every day at the same time, the same thing, KWIM? I'm sure someone will disagree LOL. If you have a reader, asking to read on his own, why not? This is what I told myself. With all of the other subject matter I read, and the free time reading DS does, noone is being hurt in the process! I definitely believe in a free reading time aside from academic reading where I expect some comprehension questioning to be discussed.

Edited December 15, 2011 by 425lisamarie

[In the Rain]

Is the book too hard?

 

This is what I was wondering too. I haven't heard of that particular book. I am not an auditory learner. While I enjoy listening to really engaging fiction on CD, I get very little information from what I hear. I need to see it. Possibly your kids aren't auditory learners.

[zenjenn]

I've heard a few people kind of be dismissive of reading aloud of the child is not an auditory learner, but it seems to me it is even MORE important to read aloud in order to improve the student's listening skills.

 

I would absolutely cater to the child's learning style when it comes to delivering information for their academic subjects, but then use reading aloud as a separate activity to help exercise those listening skills.

 

In so much of life, information is going to be delivered verbally, in college, work, and social/family life. Important to develop that skill, IMO. If not reading aloud, than some kind of listening skills exercise.

[DragonFaerie]

I don't do much in the way of read alouds anymore. And as a PP mentioned, my DD, too, prefers to read things herself. That said, I do read a history-related literature selection aloud every morning during breakfast. This seems to be the perfect time because a) they have something to do (eat) while I read, which helps prevent the mind from wandering; and b) they are not doing so much that their focus gets misdirected. The story is still the primary interest.

[stripe]

I've heard a few people kind of be dismissive of reading aloud of the child is not an auditory learner, but it seems to me it is even MORE important to read aloud in order to improve the student's listening skills.

 

I would absolutely cater to the child's learning style when it comes to delivering information for their academic subjects, but then use reading aloud as a separate activity to help exercise those listening skills.

 

Right, so maybe, start small instead of a whole chapter.

 

Eta I looked up the book on Amazon. I'm sticking with my"too hard" guess.

Edited December 15, 2011 by stripe

[Lori D.]

Not suggesting you need to bend over backwards or jump through flaming hoops to get their attention, but... I have found that read alouds are more engaging to *listen* to when I:

 

- make the reading more entertaining and accessible by reading in different voices for the different characters

- if there is a song in the text, make up a tune and sing the song lyrics

- heighten the emotion of the reading by inserting the occasional dramatic pause in a suspenseful moment; raise and lower your voice (even to a whisper) in the appropriate parts

- give them "listening clues", like laughing out loud at a funny bit coming up, or gasp in suspense

- increase anticipation by occasionally say, "oh no! what do you think will happen next?!" , or ask "what would you do if you were the character in this tight spot?"

 

In other words, let loose your "inner thespian". ;) And what about trying some books on tape by professional read-aloud people, and using those books on tape while everyone is in the car, or other enclosed situation to start getting them learning to attend to out-loud reading?

 

 

If they don't seem to be paying attention, perhaps just stop reading and see how long the silence hangs there until they look up and say, "go on", or "why did you stop?" Or, in the same tone of voice as your reading voice, start saying random, unrelated things until someone notices and comments; things like "Then the plaid elephant climbed a tree and swung by his knees. But the Owl and the Pussycat sailed away for a year and a day. And Santa Claus went on strike for better pay while his elves had a holly, jolly Christmas..." If nothing else, it will be entertaining for YOU. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Book selection for family read-alouds is very important, too. I tended to stick with books that were high on humor, adventure, or suspense. Maybe historical fiction is not your DC's "cup of tea" for out-loud reading, but would be for solo-silent-reading?? Just a thought...

 

 

Finally, maybe try making the read-aloud location special and cozy -- at the table with cups of cocoa and a special snack; all curled up together under blankets on the couch or propped on pillows on your bed, or under the table with a blanket over it to make a tent, sitting on pillows, and a flashlight for light. (Of course, sometimes that just increases the wiggles, giggles, and wrestling, but it might be worth a try. :) )

 

 

BEST of luck, and here's hoping you and your family are able to have some special read-aloud books and memories together! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[mama27]

I've always thought it was important to read aloud to my children, so since they were small, we've always had a book going. From picture books to chapter books to poetry, I read aloud something to them nearly every single day.

 

So, why is it that they have the attention span of a gnat?! I just finished reading a fairly exciting chapter in If All the Swords in England and not one of my children could tell me a single thing about what happened. Nothing. They couldn't even remember whether the characters were in France or England.

 

This is not the first time this has happened. I have the hardest time getting them to pay attention. Usually my 12 year old is the only one who can even give me a basic narration.

 

What am I doing wrong? I've tried letting them play with silly putty or draw, and that doesn't seem to make a difference. If anything it draws their attention even further away from what I'm reading.

 

 

 

Yea. I have the same problem here with some of mine. It's like I am just saying these words and they put up with it.

Blah, blah,blah...

[siloam]

Oh, I wasn't looking for a narration...just making sure they were following the story. I stop every couple of pages to make sure they're keeping up. But they're not.

 

I only really ask for true narrations maybe once or twice a week, and that's usually from a book that they are reading. For read alouds, I've always tried to keep it enjoyable. But it seems that unless I'm reading something cartoony and silly they can't follow along.

 

I just feel frustrated that I spend 20-30 min. reading to them and they have no idea what I just said.

 

A couple of possibilities, which might have been brought up already.

 

First if they are big picture thinkers they might do better with big picture questions. Detail questions don't work as well here, because we see the whole more than the pieces.

 

Second if they are visual learners, then they might just be struggling to catch it at all. With the cartoons, I assume they see the pictures and follow along that way. RA just might not be their thing. I learned this doing FLL With my 3rd dd. It served my 2nd dd well and she did well on her standardized testing. My 3rd dd tanked it. She needs visual input.

 

Third some of this can still happen but it will take training. My 3rd dd is still doing WWE, which is auditory. I do have to remind her to be "on" and to activity try to visualize what I am reading. Still it took several weeks for her to really be able to catch details, and before that I would have to re-read the section with the answer over again for her. Now she can do it (at the end of WWE 2), but it is work for her. My oldest is an auditory learner and all this was so easy for her...well not the details. She is still a big picture thinker. :D

 

Honestly I don't do many RA's anymore, I assign it all as independent reading, but half of that is because I just don't have the time to do it all...and why spend so much effort on something only my oldest and I really enjoy.

 

Do your kids say they enjoy it? Do they say they feel they understand the story, but just can't put it into words? Just because you can't get an answer from them doesn't mean it is worthless...you just need to try to figure out why they can't.

 

Heather

[MerryAtHope]

Agree with lots of suggestions here (checking to make sure the book isn't too hard, is interesting, stopping more frequently etc...). Do you do voices, vary the volume and tempo etc... as well? That can help. In fact, I would recommend slowing down the pace you read just a bit. This is very helpful for kids who are not auditory learners and for kids who have mild auditory processing disorders (something that might otherwise go undetected).

 

Another technique that is helpful is to look at a child while reading--ie, look at the book, read part of the sentence, and look up at a child as you finish saying the sentence. Make eye contact and include a facial expression that adds to the meaning of the words.

 

If you have them do an activity while reading, make it relate. For example, one year I read Little Women to the kids. My dd had the abridged classic version that had nice line drawings. I scanned and enlarged them & printed them out as coloring pages. Having a visual image that relates to interact with can help kids who struggle with auditory learning.

 

I'd encourage you to do some reading about auditory processing, working memory, and ADHD-inattentive (they don't have to have the "H" component to struggle with this). Even if your kids don't struggle directly with any of these things, many of the strategies can still help. The Eides have a book called The Mislabeled Child that covers many types of issues and some things that you can do to help those issues, that might be a good starting place (in addition to the usual google searches, reading on the Special Needs board etc...).

 

HTH some, Merry :-)

[Oakblossoms]

Have you tried while they are eating?

[Mrs Twain]

Not suggesting you need to bend over backwards or jump through flaming hoops to get their attention, but... I have found that read alouds are more engaging to *listen* to when I:

 

- make the reading more entertaining and accessible by reading in different voices for the different characters

- if there is a song in the text, make up a tune and sing the song lyrics

- heighten the emotion of the reading by inserting the occasional dramatic pause in a suspenseful moment; raise and lower your voice (even to a whisper) in the appropriate parts

- give them "listening clues", like laughing out loud at a funny bit coming up, or gasp in suspense

- increase anticipation by occasionally say, "oh no! what do you think will happen next?!" , or ask "what would you do if you were the character in this tight spot?"

 

In other words, let loose your "inner thespian". ;) And what about trying some books on tape by professional read-aloud people, and using those books on tape while everyone is in the car, or other enclosed situation to start getting them learning to attend to out-loud reading?

 

 

If they don't seem to be paying attention, perhaps just stop reading and see how long the silence hangs there until they look up and say, "go on", or "why did you stop?" Or, in the same tone of voice as your reading voice, start saying random, unrelated things until someone notices and comments; things like "Then the plaid elephant climbed a tree and swung by his knees. But the Owl and the Pussycat sailed away for a year and a day. And Santa Claus went on strike for better pay while his elves had a holly, jolly Christmas..." If nothing else, it will be entertaining for YOU. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Book selection for family read-alouds is very important, too. I tended to stick with books that were high on humor, adventure, or suspense. Maybe historical fiction is not your DC's "cup of tea" for out-loud reading, but would be for solo-silent-reading?? Just a thought...

 

 

Finally, maybe try making the read-aloud location special and cozy -- at the table with cups of cocoa and a special snack; all curled up together under blankets on the couch or propped on pillows on your bed, or under the table with a blanket over it to make a tent, sitting on pillows, and a flashlight for light. (Of course, sometimes that just increases the wiggles, giggles, and wrestling, but it might be worth a try. :) )

 

 

BEST of luck, and here's hoping you and your family are able to have some special read-aloud books and memories together! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

Yes, yes, yes! Ham it up as much as possible with different voices and the best acting job you can do. I also stop and explain if I think my kids may not understand something we just read. This helps a lot.

[Chava_Raizel]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

 

I do try to act out the story as much as possible--I do voices, accents, etc. Yes, the book we're currently reading is hard. I try to have at least one or two more difficult books each year. So far, I've only had one successful read aloud this year - The Phantom Tollbooth. While I get that they like the sillier type of books, I try to introduce them to a wide variety of literature through reading aloud.

 

I've tried reading aloud at mealtimes, and while they do tend to pay a bit better attention, I find it hard to read then, cause I need to eat too.

[Celia]

We have contests... whoever can answer the most questions about what i just read gets a chocolate chip :)

[stripe]

Here is a somewhat radical point of view, which I found today in School work, Volume 1, just to liven things up!

 

 

PRIMARY COMPOSITION.

 

Algernon S. Higgins, Associate City Superintendent, New York.

 

Primary Composition work is not altogether satisfactory; in many schools it is far from satisfactory. In my opinion this is largely the result of a false ideal of what such a composition should be. This ideal is a shortened grammar, or high school, composition. Hence, we find primary compositions upon George Washington and the Panama Canal. These efforts are like those of a mother who dresses' her son in the cast-off clothes of his father by cutting off, to his stature, the legs and sleeves. The result is not becoming to the boy, nor are abbreviated essays on departed heroes fitting composition work for primary children.

 

Primary composition work should aim to secure:

 

First. Mechanical accuracy.

 

Second. A limited variety of expression.

 

A composition is mechanically accurate when the words are correctly spelled, the capitals rightly used, the principal marks of punctuation properly placed, the ordinary errors of speech avoided and paragraphing not entirely omitted. This accuracy can not be secured in the period given to composition work. All the exercises must be made distinct threads to be woven into this finished product. Therefore the composition work of a Primary School must be judged by that of its highest grade. One might as well estimate the quality of a factory's products by its rudimentary and half-made articles, rather than by its finished material.

 

Accuracy in composition spelling will never be secured by teaching the two hundred, or more, of list words set for a grade. These are largely root-words; derivatives of these, within the capacity of the pupil, should be learned, when the root-word is taught, because that is the time to learn them; and the derivatives are more often used in composition work than the root-word. For example, tries, tried, trying, trial, come into daily use oftener than the root-word try. No words are oftener misspelled in primary composition than the derivatives of try, cry, etc.

 

Primary pupils never learn to spell by writing composition. They must approach the exercise well grounded in the vocabulary used therein ; otherwise the exercise becomes distasteful to the pupil and a weariness to the teacher. Hence, the necessity of revising the spelling lists of primary grades, retaining words that come into daily use, and deferring to a later time the technical terms of serrated, petiole, apex, etc.

 

Right here I wish to emphasize the importance of clear articulation by the pupil as a means of correct spelling. He writes February incorrectly because of imperfect articulation, and "must uv" for must have, for the same reason.

 

Neither will compositions be free from the ordinary errors of speech, unless the pupil begins writing them with a clear idea of what he is to avoid. The pupil who habitually says that there is twenty boys in his class will sprinkle his composition with similar expressions. Correct speech is learned by imitation in the early years of the pupil, and it is conceivable that if a child never heard an ungrammatical expression he would never use one. It is unwise for a teacher to excuse the prevalence of incorrect expressions in the class on the ground that the pupils bring them from home; for pupils often bring incorrect ideas of other things from home, which the teacher, by example and precept, must and does correct. These errors of speech will not disappear by grading them and distributing these corrections through the different classes. This is but a short step on the long road to correct speech. By a short, direct, daily drill on these errors, and by the prompt correction of any that occur in tbe class exercises, the teacher may hope to secure comparative freedom from ungrammatical expressions in the class composition.

 

Want of space prevents me indicating how a good degree of correctness in the use of capitals and punctuation may be secured, and, so far I have assumed that this mechanical accuracy is obtained in the lower primary grades, where the sentences have contained but one or two statements. There have been assertions, and occasionally interrogations.

 

When mechanical accuracy has been fairly reached, and not till then, variety of expression may be gradually introduced. The sentences may be connected by conjunctions, by relatives, by adverbs; they may be inverted, introduced by clauses, similes may be used and simple metaphors employed. How much of this is to be done must depend upon the judgment of the teacher and upon the readiness of the pupils in their previous work; but let the teacher remember that children naturally overwork the conjunction, and revel in involved sentences; she may, therefore, be required to restrain, rather than to urge, this tendency.

 

I can see no use in the pupils copying the usual model composition, save as an exercise in penmanship. They are like Ready Letter Writers, printed for the use of persons with little education and less understanding. But I do heartily believe in primary pupils copying paragraphs from their readers, selected by the teacher. These selections will have two useful purposes. They will lead the teacher to see how unfit to teach literary expressions to pupils many of these paragraphs are; the sentences are involved, the subjects of the verbs remote, the antecedents of the pronouns obscure, and the idea conveyed, nebulous.

 

I would make the reading lesson contribute largely to the composition and language work. Frequent questions about the punctuation, the use of capitals, the arrangement of the sentence, may be used with good effect. These questions must be judicious and made with reference to future use in the composition. The object is to train the pupil to observe that certain punctuation and capitals must be used in certain places, until he will use them from habit, rather than from rules, which at this stage are useless. When a pupil has read a sentence, he may be asked to look the teacher in the face, read it with expression to the teacher without reference to the book. Then the teacher may ask him to write it correctly from memory, upon the board, while the class continues the reading. At the close of the exercise the several sentences on the board may be read, to see if they have been written as printed in the book. Four or five sentences are enough and they should be written by pupils whom the teacher thinks need this training.

 

The second useful purpose will be served when the pupil sees how the printed paragraph looks when turned into a written one; for he is often at school several terms before it dawns upon him that the printed page before him was once a written one. He has been told that the end of composition writing is letter writing. He can not see what connection his truncated essay on Columbus has with a letter to his grandfather on the subject of a bicycle he desires; nor can I.

 

Primary composition writing is probably a greater burden to the teacher than to the pupil. She must devote hours to their inspection; he, but minutes to their perpetration. The problem is to lessen the teacher's drudgery, and to increase the pupil's proficiency; to have forty of her fifty papers free from errors, rather than ten correct and forty dotted with mistakes. This can be done. It consists in having the pupil thoroughly prepared for this work before giving him a pen for a formal exercise in it. To this end oral composition should precede written work. The pupil should tell what he proposes to do, how he will do it, even to the spelling, punctuation and capitals. Unless he can stand, look his teacher squarely in the face and tell what he intends to do, there is little hope of his doing it when the test comes.

 

I place little stress on what the educators call thought in primary composition. I go so far as to doubt if primary pupils have thoughts. They have dreams, fancies, conceits, imaginations in abundance, but mental processes worthy of the name of thoughts are rare. The usual mode of teaching primary composition leaves little room for pupils to use the mental processes in which they abound. We are Gradgrinds for thoughts. We have no time to prune their childish fancies, to criticise gently their conceits, to train their imagination, the greatest of the mental faculties. Some day we will build our composition work on what they have, rather than on what they have not. Till then we shall continue in our present methods with varying degrees of success, none of them brilliant enough to warrant us in believing that we have the right way. To all such the words of the Apostle Paul are full of encouragement: "Strive earnestly after the best way, and yet show I you a better way."

[Mommyfaithe]

Oh, I wasn't looking for a narration...just making sure they were following the story. I stop every couple of pages to make sure they're keeping up. But they're not.

 

I only really ask for true narrations maybe once or twice a week, and that's usually from a book that they are reading. For read alouds, I've always tried to keep it enjoyable. But it seems that unless I'm reading something cartoony and silly they can't follow along.

 

I just feel frustrated that I spend 20-30 min. reading to them and they have no idea what I just said.

 

I have had that experience with my kids...but if it is any consolation, my older kids tell me their absolute best memories of their childhood are our warm, fuzzy reading sessions. Sometimes I would read to them for hours because I was on bed rest with one of their younger siblings. They do not remember every story...and sometimes they fell asleep...but 3 really great things came out of it:

1. Their ear was trained to Literature. They could read any book they needed to or wanted to, because they have strong language skills from listening to words...day after day.

 

2. They love books and learning. They are continuing their educations both self teaching and college and beyond.

They have memories of books that touched them, ones they were bored by, ones that kept them on the edge of their seat. Their character was trained by heroes and they learned to despise the villains.

 

3. They mirror what they grew up doing. My kids read to each other. They read to babies in the children's hospital, they read to Grandpa, dd reads with her dh.....they all read to their younger siblings.

 

Did they listen intently to every book?? Nope. I can't tell you how many times I told them to listen up...are you listening?? Am I reading to myself??

I think this is a case where the sum is greater than the parts.

 

Enjoy your reading time. Enjoy the closeness. Leave the books on the shelf or on the coffee table...they will pick them up and read them again.

Enjoy the moment.

 

Faithe

[duckens]

1) Let the kids take turns picking books. If you are concerned of their choices, then limit them to books that have won the Newberry Award, books on the Battle of the Books website, or another pre-approved list.

 

2) Let the kids take turns reading. They are all old enough to read aloud. Everyone reads a page or two (according to their abilities), then passes it along to the next kid.

 

3) At the end of each chapter and/or reading period, have the kids write down (possibly in a little book or notebook) details about the characters and plot. This can be reviewed (by the kids reading) before each reading session to provide continuity and memory of the story.

[Critterfixer]

You are not wasting your time.

 

I treat read-alouds at night as cuddle time, and we do enjoy it. But I don’t limit read-aloud material to thing that I think my boys will like, or to things I think they can comprehend. Often I will pick selections with some difficult language, or complex armies of characters to keep up with. I do it for vocabulary and word banking.

I don’t require that they narrate it or even give me a synopsis. What I do like to see is a brief look of confusion, and then the question—“Mom, what does...mean?â€

Excellent question. I’m rewarded when I hear them using that word in their conversations.

I use pretty dense audiobooks in the same way, but they are not able to interrupt as well when they want clarification.

 

Just don’t think that comprehension is the only goal of reading out loud to your children. Establishing a bank of words for vocabulary and for reading is helpful. I can’t think how many times my boys have come across words they have not decoded before and been able to decode with confidence because they’ve heard it before.

[nmoira]

Yes, one of the reasons we read aloud is for the "betterment" of our children, but if they aren't engaged, it is an opportunity lost. Aside from the warm fuzzies, read aloud time should be about instilling the joy of reading, of story, of wordplay, etc. Let them guide you. If The Phantom Tollbooth was a hit, try The Wonderful O; these forums are a great place to ask for book recommendations. (FWIW, Barbara Willard bores me to tears. :tongue_smilie:) Shorter works are fine: fairy and folk tales, and short stories (Joan Aiken has me wonderful collections).

[Lori D.]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

 

I do try to act out the story as much as possible--I do voices, accents, etc. Yes, the book we're currently reading is hard. I try to have at least one or two more difficult books each year. So far, I've only had one successful read aloud this year - The Phantom Tollbooth. While I get that they like the sillier type of books, I try to introduce them to a wide variety of literature through reading aloud.

 

I've tried reading aloud at mealtimes, and while they do tend to pay a bit better attention, I find it hard to read then, cause I need to eat too.

 

 

 

 

Ouch! You HAVE been working hard to make this work!

 

The only other thing I can think of is that perhaps it's not often going to work all together. I note from your signature that you have a difficult spread to try and please:

GIRL age 12

BOYS age 9

TODDLER age 2

 

Perhaps try three shorter, and different read-alouds. That will allow you to tailor the books to the specific ages, genders, and interests.

 

The toddler is easy -- just pop in anywhere in the day it works out to take 10-15 minutes to read a picture book.

 

With the boys, perhaps take 20 minutes right after lunch as a way of easing back into the rest of the school day, while DD does some solo reading.

 

Then read aloud with DD for 20 minutes in the afternoon at the end of her day as special "mom/daughter" time; select works she would especially enjoy that the brothers might not -- Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Mara Daughter of the Nile, Catherine Called Birdy, or whatever falls under HER specific interests.

 

 

Then maybe just a few nights a week do a chapter from a classic that is just for fun for the whole family:

- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll)

- Five Children and It (Nesbit)

- The Hobbit (Tolkien)

- The Reluctant Dragon or Wind in the Willows (Graham)

- Rikki Tikki Tavi or Just So Stories (Kipling)

- Little Britches (Moody)

- The Twenty One Balloons (DuBois)

- The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Aiken)

 

 

BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

[Chava_Raizel]

Ouch! You HAVE been working hard to make this work!

 

The only other thing I can think of is that perhaps it's not often going to work all together. I note from your signature that you have a difficult spread to try and please:

GIRL age 12

BOYS age 9

TODDLER age 2

 

Perhaps try three shorter, and different read-alouds. That will allow you to tailor the books to the specific ages, genders, and interests.

 

The toddler is easy -- just pop in anywhere in the day it works out to take 10-15 minutes to read a picture book.

 

With the boys, perhaps take 20 minutes right after lunch as a way of easing back into the rest of the school day, while DD does some solo reading.

 

Then read aloud with DD for 20 minutes in the afternoon at the end of her day as special "mom/daughter" time; select works she would especially enjoy that the brothers might not -- Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Mara Daughter of the Nile, Catherine Called Birdy, or whatever falls under HER specific interests.

 

 

Then maybe just a few nights a week do a chapter from a classic that is just for fun for the whole family:

- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll)

- Five Children and It (Nesbit)

- The Hobbit (Tolkien)

- The Reluctant Dragon or Wind in the Willows (Graham)

- Rikki Tikki Tavi or Just So Stories (Kipling)

- Little Britches (Moody)

- The Twenty One Balloons (DuBois)

- The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Aiken)

 

 

BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

 

This is actually a really good idea. I've been trying to read to everyone in the morning. I do read to the 2 year old separately, of course, but I try to combine the older kids as much as possible. Maybe by having their own special reading times I can choose books they might enjoy more. My dd loves when I have a special reading time with just her. I'm sure she'd appreciate more girly, grown up books as well. We could still aim for a together time, but this way I could guarantee that everyone has a read aloud they might enjoy.

[Mergath]

I'm a very visual learner, and have a lot of trouble following when I have to listen to something. In college, I was able to do well because I took extensive notes on all the lectures, and looking at my notes helped me learn the material. I'm sure you don't want your kids to have to take notes on the fun family reading, though. :tongue_smilie:

 

What makes reading aloud easier for me is if the reader picks up the pace a bit. My brain works pretty quickly, and if the reader goes too slow, it drives me batty. Constantly stuttering over words makes it hard for me to listen too, because I inevitably sit and listen for the next one.

 

Do they have the same problem with audiobooks, or is it only when you read to them?