itsmylife Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I would like to start off saying that DD (6.5) is a good and voracious reader. I have been slacking off majorly in the reading to her department - mainly because I am tired of the reading kiddie content (ashamed of it, but I am admit it). Her teachers read aloud to the class everyday for 20 minutes and I use that as an exit excuse for me. I found a bunch of books on tape at her school library - will that be a good substitute for now?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 That seems fine. Which benefits of Read Alouds do you want? If its the togetherness and bonding, then you'll have to sit down and listen with her, but if the exposure to books, the hearing of fluent reading and the possibility of exposing her to material above her interests, then yeah, that should be fine. Depending on what you consider kiddie content, you can read something else. Read a book that is of interest to you and within the bounds of what you'd let your daughter listen to or watch in any other form of media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Also why not read to her on the weekend when her teacher isn't reading to her? Even if your reading is a supplement to audiobooks etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmylife Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 I am looking to develop her pronunciation mainly - her vocabulary is great but I have noticed that she pronounces a few words wrong. Example: crisis as cresis etc etc. I like the idea of reading something that interests me and suitable for her. I will look into that genre. We do discuss books - I do read majority of books she reads and discuss them with her after she has read them, so yes, we do bond over books. And yes, I will start off by reading atleast during weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 We love audio books around here. We listen to them driving kids to activities. Also, my boys love to listen to them after we turn the lights out to go to bed. It has been their routine since they were itty bitty. Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xixstar Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 We love audio books. My oldest's vocabulary increased greatly when I started getting more books on cd from the library. And I love that they properly pronounce things I would get wrong (especially in the Red Wall series). She was a big reader then and exploded into a constant reader. We're slowly adding some to the preschoolers because they don't seem to listen to them as intently as they listen to me. But there are lot os of short stories available which help with attention spans. In my book, anything that increases the love and enjoyment of reading is a great thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystie Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 We love audio books at our house! I wrote last week on my blog about how and when and why we use them: http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2013/read-aloud-cop-out-audio-books-in-the-homeschool and I also have a list of audio books you can get for free: http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2013/free-or-cheap-audible-audio-books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Yes....BUT child's reading material should be like his/her diet-the vast majority should be very high quality and a small percentage can be crap. Reading aloud crap or listening to crap is a waste of time. Kids should also be allowed to do all sorts of things while listening to a book in person or on a recording. Nothing kills the the joy of listening to a read aloud like the reader insisting on the child being still and staring at the reader the whole time. There are plenty of threads here for ideas of activities the kids can do while listening. The norm at my house for my kids (17, 15, and 7) runs closer to 2 hours a day. An hour from dad in the evenings and an hour total from mom through out the school day (usually 2 sittings.) 20 minutes isn't much for a child over the age of 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 We do audio books during the day, but listen as a family. I think between me reading, my husband reading, and listening to an audio book with me in the room my boys manage about 3 hours of listening a day. Youngest does listen to a book by himself at night. But I have already done all those books as read alouds. I find the chance to actually share the book. Discuss it.... wonderful. What kids books are you not liking? There are some many wonderful interesting books for kids that I think are also wonderful and interesting to adults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I would say that audio books are an ok supplement but not nearly as good as the in person read aloud. My reasoning for this is that the in person read aloud allows me to gauge my children's understanding and engagement. It also lets me stop and discuss unfamiliar vocabulary, sensitive issues, and complicated or confusing parts as needed. If you're tired of the kiddie content, try finding more complex picture books at your library. Or you could introduce chapter books, which can usually be enjoyed on a number of levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I see them as a supplement, but one of my children benefited GREATLY before being able to read, by being able to listen to stories independently. I tend to have my kids listening to one book on their own, while I read them others myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 What do you consider "kiddie content"? Is is books like Heidi, or books like the Rainbow Magic Fairies :ack2: ? If it's the latter, definitely start with some better quality stories. What stories did you like as a child? I really enjoy reading old favorites of mine to my daughter. If it's the former, why not try something more challenging, like Black Beauty, The Hobbit, or Oliver Twist? Audio books are a good supplement, especially if they're well done. I've found a couple of awesome audio books that even I want to listen to, and I've never been a fan of listening to a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 While I think audio books are a great thing, I do not think they should totally replace reading aloud. One thing you can't get from an audio book is the shared experience from reading a book to the child, whether she is cuddling next to you on the couch (or in bed) or if she is coloring or building something. Stopping occasionally to comment on the story or to ask a question is an interaction that cannot be duplicated with audiobooks. What kind of books are you reading that you find so tiresome? When you read aloud to a child, you should be choosing books above her reading level because her listening level is usually much higher than their reading level. There are so many wonderful read alouds that I can't imagine being stuck with tiresome books. Check into Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook for ideas on quality literature to read out loud (and to use as audio books.) At that age, I was reading Charlotte's Web and other E. B. White books, the Little House books, Call it Courage, Homer Price, etc. ETA: I don't mean to dismiss audio books. I think they are wonderful. We use them in our house (even with my older kids) and we love them for car trips. I just think there are so many delightful books that are too good to not share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Stopping occasionally to comment on the story or to ask a question is an interaction that cannot be duplicated with audiobooks. When we listen to audio books we do stop occasionally to comment or ask, or answer a question. In those cases I use an audio book since I have difficulty reading some things out loud. (Speech impediment that makes saying unique words or places names correctly). But it does mean that in most cases you have to be listening with your finger near the pause button, in other words you have to treat the audio book just like a traditional book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 We live in the country and have pretty long drives everywhere, so we listen to a lot of audio books in the car. My children also enjoy falling asleep to audio books (usually repeats of things we've read to them, revisiting old favorites). I do read aloud to them as well, and while my kids like audio books, they prefer me (or DH). :) We're going through the Percy Jackson series right now as a family, and I was able to get both the print form and the audio form from our library. My kids like the audio book okay, and if we listen in the car, we can find out what happens next faster, but they told me that they really prefer that I read to them. I do pause the audio as needed to explain anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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