When do you stop having your child read to you?

[Mélie]

I realized from reading the other thread that I haven't been consistant about having Ds5 read to me for the last month or two. I've picked out a few books to have him choose from tomorrow to start him reading aloud regularly again, but I'm wondering how long you continue this? He prefers to read on his own and complains about books either being too long or too easy when he reads aloud, but I want to keep it up as long as it's beneficial. At what point (I suppose by grade level?) do you think it becomes unnecessary?

[jeninok]

HiD's is 11, but has some reading issues so he is just now really getting confident and truly fluent. I still have him read things to me, not entire books, since they are too long at his level. But during read alouds I have him read the first page or two of each chapter out loud to me, then I finish it.

 

I also have him read things like directions to a recipe, while I do the steps, or today he read the feeding guide to the new dog food so we could calculate how many lbs we would need for a week. (Sneaky math!)

 

I also have him read everything he writes back to me. It helps him see his mistakes better than anything else I've tried.

[SKL]

I'm not sure it really is necessary past the beginning reading stage. I think hearing read-alouds is more beneficial.

 

My dd is 5 (will be 6 in January) and she is an independent reader, even though she occasionally asks for a word (e.g., today it was "aisle"). I used to ask her to read to me most days, but she acted reluctant (she's a bit of a rebel), so when time got tight, I let it drop. I'd love to listen to her read, but I don't want to interfere with her self-motivation, and honestly, I don't see a net benefit at this point. I mean, I might be able to correct a few misreadings here and there, but isn't it also good to let her figure out "that doesn't make sense" from context and try again?

 

It's actually really nice to let her be independent in her out-of-school learning. It felt good telling her "it's up to you to decide whether you're going to shoot for an A on your science test or not." What better way to learn real responsibility / accountability?

 

My other kid (who is an average, aka beginning reader - 6yo today) does need to read aloud in order to be sure she's getting the gist of the story.

[ElizaG]

I don't plan to stop having them read aloud to me, ever. Well, not until they've graduated from high school, anyway. :) Oral reading calls on many important skills, and there's always some aspect of it that we can work on.

 

Do they enjoy it? Sometimes, but more often there's some degree of weeping and wailing. DS7 has been known to crawl under the table. But it's something we value, so it's not optional.

[boscopup]

I stopped once my son could read fluently. He still has to occasionally read something aloud to the family (like Bible verses), but that has been sufficient, and he reads Bible aloud just as well as the 4th and 5th graders in his Bible class (DH is teaching). He also sometimes reads a picture book to his baby brothers. He's quite good at it without practicing much.

 

I do still read aloud to him, so he's hearing the words he doesn't know.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

My dd is 11 and has read fluently for years. We will continue read alouds for the years to come. We alternate who reads.

 

As a previous poster mentioned, there are many benefits to reading aloud. Keep in mind that the level of books should be increasing so that new and more difficult vocabulary is introduced. Checking pronunciation is important, and reading aloud provides this in spades. We sometimes need to stop and look up pronunciation which reassures me we are at the correct level.

 

If you feel your student has mastered the native language (I think this would be rare--few adults know how to pronounce every word), then move on to one of the foreign languages you are studying for reading aloud. Or higher level science texts.

 

Public speaking is important to us, and reading aloud helps with that skill.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Hilltop Academy

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Hearing a word and pronouncing it are two different skills. Both need practice.

[KAR120C]

We don't do a ton of reading aloud, but I think it's a good idea for lots of reasons. Checking pronunciation, as another poster mentioned, and checking that nothing is skipped or read carelessly... And I think I mentioned in the other thread, working on their ability to interpret as they read, and read with good expression at a good pace.

 

One thing I notice is when DS is having trouble with something, even a math problem, having him read it aloud is usually all it takes for him to figure it out. When he reads silently I think he tends to skim more than he ought, and sometimes that means he misses a small-but-vital piece. (Like the word "not"... lol)

[JeanM]

I stopped once my son could read fluently.

 

:iagree: We did the same thing. My dc read aloud sporadically, for instance if they wanted to continue a read-aloud in the car, but I was driving. Then they would alternate reading. They also both love to share favorite passages, so they'll pause in their book and read a passage out loud.

[StartingOver]

Honestly I know so many people who are uncomfortable reading out loud. I require my children to read out loud until they leave home. LOL Seriously. They don't have to read everything, but some of the paper, a few pages in the book they are reading, something, anything, DAILY!!

 

I want them to read to their babies, to love to read to them.

[Dmmetler]

We do some things, like poetry,out loud all the way through. I've also got little groups meeting at my house each month for various reasons, and I try to incorporate reading aloud there. For example, in November, we'll be doing a read-aloud version of the Iliad as part of Mythology club.

[Mélie]

Thanks so much for all the different opinions and sharing what works for you. :)

 

He reads picture books aloud in French and does read some short things aloud spontaneously - interesting parts from his books, cool facts from wikipedia, e-mails from Dh, jokes, etc. Perhaps I'll have to change how and what I have him read aloud. Poetry and science books sound like a good place to start.

 

One thing I notice is when DS is having trouble with something, even a math problem, having him read it aloud is usually all it takes for him to figure it out. When he reads silently I think he tends to skim more than he ought, and sometimes that means he misses a small-but-vital piece. (Like the word "not"... lol)

My Ds does this too! He usually gets about halfway through reading the instructions or problem out loud before he stops and mumbles "nevermind." Of course, I'm not doing this on purpose, I just want him to read it to me so I don't have to walk across the room. :D

[Mrs.Mom]

I usually sneak the reading in by alternating paragraphs in textbooks, just as a base touch to see how DS9 is doing with comprehension, pronunciation, fluency, etc. He reads so much on his own, it can be hard to assess. Having him read a long strong of paragraphs would grate on him, but alternating paragraphs for a couple of pages seems to be a good balance for us. :)

[beaners]

My 5 year old and I read a lesson from McGuffey every day. We're in book 5 right now. I've had a few new vocabulary words, and I've had to check the pronunciation on a few words too. My reading level is pretty high. ;) I'm not sure what we will move to after that, but we will continue reading something aloud every day.

 

We might move to selecting a small part of something we have read recently to read aloud and share. My husband and I do this all the time, and I'd love for my children to be included.

[Esse Quam Videri]

I usually sneak the reading in by alternating paragraphs in textbooks, just as a base touch to see how DS9 is doing with comprehension, pronunciation, fluency, etc. He reads so much on his own, it can be hard to assess. Having him read a long strong of paragraphs would grate on him, but alternating paragraphs for a couple of pages seems to be a good balance for us. :)

 

We do this too... It's fun to "share" books together.

[ocelotmom]

I don't plan to stop having them read aloud to me, ever. Well, not until they've graduated from high school, anyway. :) Oral reading calls on many important skills, and there's always some aspect of it that we can work on.

 

Do they enjoy it? Sometimes, but more often there's some degree of weeping and wailing. DS7 has been known to crawl under the table. But it's something we value, so it's not optional.

 

:iagree:

 

Despite being a very good reader, and good at reading aloud when called on in grade school, reading aloud was something I really struggled with when DS was little. I was out of practice, and it was tiring and difficult to read aloud to him for more than a few minutes. I'd rather give him a chance to develop those skills, plus it gives me a chance to see what he needs to work on, phonics-wise.

[serendipitous journey]

I realized from reading the other thread that I haven't been consistant about having Ds5 read to me for the last month or two. I've picked out a few books to have him choose from tomorrow to start him reading aloud regularly again, but I'm wondering how long you continue this? He prefers to read on his own and complains about books either being too long or too easy when he reads aloud, but I want to keep it up as long as it's beneficial. At what point (I suppose by grade level?) do you think it becomes unnecessary?

 

I am thinking about this with my little ones. At the moment Button functionally reads aloud a bit every day, if just the instructions for his work. I also have him do poems, and bits of his books; once a week, I like him to either read a poem or to do the alternate-reading suggested above with one of his school books.

 

I think it is beneficial at least through middle school, esp. if the child is not reading aloud for other purposes (church, etc.). It's a lovely skill. And if I remember rightly, Eleanor is teaching elocution as well as just being able to churn the words out: that is another benefit to consider and might provide a focus for some of the effort.

 

For motivation, esp. as your child gets a bit older, you can point out what a delightful treat is for you to be read to! I try to express to Button very regularly & enthusiastically what a treat it is to hear him read, and how different it is to experience a story being read to me vs. reading it to somebody else. That doesn't make him eager to read right away, but I think it improves his general attitude.