a27mom Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 I have to admit I am not excited about reading aloud to my kids. Don't really understand why as I love to read. My girls are bright as well. I guess I don't like the idea of sitting down taking the time to do it. :confused: Anyway I need suggestions for books and how to get going on this as it seems to be important. Both of my girls have pretty good comprehension as far as I can tell. They can finish stories and retell books pretty well. So I have bright 5 and 3.5 y/o girls. I do read picture books to them. But not every day. Anybody else not enjoy the read aloud thing or at least didn't when they started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 (edited) Well, I didn't like it too much at first but am okay with it now. I try to read aloud at snacks, at lunch when possible, and before bed. The tot gets two little books before bed, and he goes to bed early enough that I have time for an extended read-aloud -- 25 - 45 minutes -- with the 7yo. It helps me with this when I have a stack of books available to pull from. Ideally I keep track of what I'm trying to read; but the simplest is to have some picture books stacked on the kitchen table and I pull as I go. I often do the same story all week for morning snack, read something a bit longer -- bits of a chapter book, or pages from a longer picture book -- at lunch, and I try to do poems at PM snack, right now a combination of a nicely illustrated children's book (Here's a Little Poem) and some Shel Silverstein. We're not 100% at this by any means! but it keeps us going. When I find I'm not reading aloud very much I try to get more organized and focused for a few days to get back on track. ETA: when my oldest was the age of your oldest, I just did a Five in a Row story each AM, and read something to him before bed. ETA#2: for book suggestions, I like titles from Five in a Row and also from Sonlight to start. Edited October 26, 2012 by serendipitous journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 When my kids still shared a room, and before the youngest was a distraction, our favorite read-aloud time was after they got in bed. I'd sit so I could see the book using only the light from the hall, and I'd often read until the first one fell asleep. (We still do this when we are travelling in our RV, since all the kids are in the one bunk-room.) We've had good luck with the recommendations from Jim Trelease's "Read-Aloud Handbook." Since his focus is reading aloud, the books he recommends always flow well out loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 I loved reading out loud and was even surprised That I learned from Jim Trelease's books, but I second the recommendation to get that book. I'd read aloud to them for the reasons he says (here's a link to the book on Amazon, bt if you google it, you'll find his website http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143037390/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=17188711208&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=21445212881392727363&hvpone=9.79&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_7py311zl01_b ), but you can also supplement with unabridged recordings of books as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 When my kids still shared a room, and before the youngest was a distraction, our favorite read-aloud time was after they got in bed. I'd sit so I could see the book using only the light from the hall, and I'd often read until the first one fell asleep. (We still do this when we are travelling in our RV, since all the kids are in the one bunk-room.) We've had good luck with the recommendations from Jim Trelease's "Read-Aloud Handbook." Since his focus is reading aloud, the books he recommends always flow well out loud. I loved reading out loud and was even surprised That I learned from Jim Trelease's books, but I second the recommendation to get that book. I'd read aloud to them for the reasons he says (here's a link to the book on Amazon, bt if you google it, you'll find his website http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143037390/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=17188711208&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=21445212881392727363&hvpone=9.79&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_7py311zl01_b ), but you can also supplement with unabridged recordings of books as well. His book bugs me! :lol: but everybody else seems to like it ... At any rate, getting it from your library can't hurt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 His book bugs me! :lol: but everybody else seems to like it ... At any rate, getting it from your library can't hurt! :lol::lol: No one likes all books. I certainly didn't follow all of his suggestions--my dc generally didn't want us to read out loud to them anymore past a certain age & usually would rather read things themselves than have us read them (eg articles.) However, I still think it's a good read for most people who don't want to read longer books aloud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chava_Raizel Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 When my oldest dd was a toddler, I had a hard time figuring out how I was supposed to read aloud to her. It took a while to work out a rhythm, and it was hard when my twins were babies too. I knew it was important, but it was hard to fit it into our day. I think it was probably when my oldest was around 5 that I started to really make reading aloud a priority. First - choose books that you yourself will enjoy. There is nothing worse than forcing yourself through a story because you think you must. Some of our favorite beginner chapter books: The Complete Tales of Winnie-The-Pooh by A.A. Milne Charlotte's Web by E.B. White The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda both by Roald Dahl There are lots of great picture books as well - we love anything by Jan Brett, Tomie de Paola, Dr. Suess, the Madeline series...there are so many great picture books out there that appeal to a variety of ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a27mom Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Thanks, for the suggestions. I sat down and tried it. I was amazed that they sat through 4 chapters of boxcar children, yesterday and today. And I discovered that it is a lot easier to read a "long" book than picture book after picture book :) now to keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Yay! Glad you're having fun with the Boxcar children! When my DD was 2 we read lots of chapter books while eating meals (Little House, Charlotte's Web, Misty of Chincoteague, Pooh, Mouse and the Motorcycle). I was getting tired of picture books too. We've gotten out of the habit now, but I'd like to get back into it. Ha - I'd find myself trailing off reading out loud as I tried to skim ahead and see what was happening next. My daughter would have to prompt me to 'Keep reading Mom!' I found that books with animals as the main characters were the biggest hits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 ... Ha - I'd find myself trailing off reading out loud as I tried to skim ahead and see what was happening next. My daughter would have to prompt me to 'Keep reading Mom!' ... me, too! If I'd only read them ahead of time this problem would be solved ... but that's not in the cards right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferLynn Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I am still struggling. It was easier when they were littler - the books went faster and it was all still new. The third time around I would mostly rather be alone in a quiet room reading my own book. It does help to revisit my old favorites, but DD6 doesn't like them as much. After a lapse this summer, it is going better finding books that we are both interested in that are new to me - like Journey to the Center of the Earth, or re-reading Hobbit in anticipation of the movie. The older we all get, the harder it is to sustain read alouds unless I have a real interest in the book too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.