Do you track the books your kids read? What systems do you use?

[TheAttachedMama]

Hi Everyone,

 

Do you track the books your kids read?   If so, what system do you use?   I would love to hear of some "tried and tested" systems that have worked for other families.   I don't want anything too fussy because I don't want the system to discourage them from reading.  

 

My original plan was to get the kids a "Goodreads" account and let them scan their books.     I thought that this would be an easy no fuss way for them to track their books.   They read a lot of ebooks, so I thought their kindle app might directly interface with their goodreads account.  But we had several problems right off the bat.    FIRST, their news feed kept showing the latest reviews of strangers (they didn't have any friends)...and it just so happens that the latest reviewer likes to read smutty paperbacks with the titles "Low Down and Dirty Lovers" and "Quickie Collection" and the books all have covers that would go along with those titles. :crying:   I have a Goodreads account and nothing like this shows up on my feed.  SO I couldn't figure out WHY those are showing up in her newsfeed!    I also couldn't figure out how to make those reviews go away.   She had no friends on goodreads and the only "genre" I said she was interested in are children's books.   So I assume they are just showing the latest reviews of strangers.  (???)    My 8-year-old daughter is, of course, looking over my shoulder as I'm trying to get her kindle set up because she is excited.  So that is the first thing she sees.

 

THEN, we couldn't get any books to scan because their camera was evidently too blurry no matter what we did.  (She happened to be reading a paperback at the moment.)  That kind of took away the ease factor I was looking for.  Scanning works no problem on my ipad and iphone, but would not work on their kindle no matter what I did. 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2016 by TheAttachedMama

[marbel]

When my kids were younger I logged the books myself.  Around middle school age I tried to force them to keep track, but it never worked.  We tried Goodreads and there were no problems except they would not do it.  (We never tried scanning the book, just searched it on Goodreads and added it to the bookshelves.)   Over the last couple of years they just kept track of them in a paper journal. 

 

I keep trying to tell them that when they're 40 they'll want a record of all these books they've read, but they don't believe me.  :-)

 

In the log run it doesn't really matter, though I've heard that colleges sometimes like to see booklists from prospective students.  Not just schoolbooks but general reading.  So I have persevered.

[regentrude]

I just keep a list of titles. Kids were supposed to keep lists, but that did not work. I ask periodically what they read and write those down in a word file. Easy. May not catch every single book, but that does not matter - nobody cares about the book list, it's just nice to have.

Edited June 15, 2016 by regentrude

[AmandaVT]

We need to have a list for our state (not exhaustive, but they like to see at least 12). I have a shelf on my goodreads account that is labeled "2nd grade". I add books as we go through the year. It's been working pretty well. I figured that if I didn't do something like that, I'd have a hard time remembering which year he read which book when it came time to put together the portfolio.

[EKT]

Yes! I do! 

 

I have a private (password-protected), personal blog that I use for all of my homeschool record keeping. Here is what I do to keep track of what we read: Every time I check out books from the library, I elect to have my receipt emailed to me. (This is an option at the self-checkout stations at my library.) Then, when I get home, I just cut-and-paste the books from that email and paste them into the relevant blog post. (I do one giant blog post for each girl each semester, which is what I share at my county review.) It takes a few minutes, because I have to reformat things a little bit, and file the book titles into their proper category (language arts, science, etc.) but mostly it's pretty painless and an easy way for me to keep track of our reading.

 

Also, at the end of the semester, before my county review, I go back through the list and delete any titles that we abandoned or ended up not reading for whatever reason. I also have to remember to go in and add books that we've read that are from our personal library. (We get most books from the library, though, so most things are just cut-and-pasted.) This process works well for us!

 

Example:

So, in the Language Arts section for each girl, have three categories:

(1) Novels and illustrated storybooks the child has read independently to herself

(2) Novels and illustrated storybooks I have read aloud to the child

(3) Audiobooks the child has listened to

 

The books that are subject-specific (a non-fiction book on spiders, for example), would be listed in the science section of the blog post, not the language arts section. 

 

It probably sounds super complicated, the way I'm describing it here, but I promise it's not! It's ultimately just a giant list, divided by subject. But, four years into homeschooling, I have to say that I absolutely LOVE having a complete list of all the books we've read! (And it's great for those moments when you're like, "Ack! We've gotten nothing done this semester!" But then you look back and see that your children have literally read dozens upon dozens of books. Hope that helps!

[abcmommy]

I just keep a list in the Notes feature on my phone.  It was fun to see the comparison between the 8th grade list (homeschool) and son's 9th grade (public school).  I think the numerical difference was something like 26 books more at home.  ;)

[patriciatx]

I just joined Goodreads. :) I've been keeping track in a journal. 

[hollyhock]

On Fridays, I just ask them what they read this week and write it down in my planner. That's it.

[Jess4879]

Last year I printed book marks with a space for title, author and any vocab words they wanted to record.  I also put 5 stars at the top so they could rate the book, then I punched a hole in the top.  Every time they read a book they filled out a bookmark and put it on a ring.  It worked very well and they were really motivated to keep reading and adding bookmarks to their ring. 

[happypamama]

I keep a OneNote list for anything that I want to include in the book list for their portfolios.  That includes: any textbooks or spine materials, any reference materials (dictionary, atlas, etc.), non-fiction books that they read a fair chunk of (by choice or by assignment) any novels they choose on their own (if they finish them) or any I assign, any magazines, any short stories, anything we read aloud or listen to, picture books that I specifically use for history/science/art (not for the upper grades, but up through about 6th), picture books they read to me as beginner readers (only for the younger grades -- rising 2nd grader isn't a fluent reader yet, so I will count beginner books on his booklist next year but not likely the year after).  

 

I do not keep track of picture books they read themselves, once they're at the fluent reader stage.

[MerryAtHope]

I never kept track until high school--I didn't really need the information for anything before then. In high school, I simply kept a list in MS Word each year. 

[eternallytired]

I went with Biblionasium accounts to avoid the possible Goodreads issues that you described.  (I don't want to log their reading on my account because I want my account to track MY reading!)  Biblionasium allows them to add books to their shelf by doing a title search.  They can log minutes or pages for each day if desired, and the account keeps track of their totals.  If a book isn't already in the system, you can add it yourself--but I've had very few instances of that. 

 

My one complaint about Biblionasium is that kids can't record a book as being read twice.  It's not a huge deal, but it's frustrating for them if they have a favorite chapter book and take the time to read it a second time but don't get "credit" for it on their account.

[Arcadia]

My oldest read so much I give up keeping track. I do keep their summer reading logs every year since they log their books for the local library summer reading program. I use the EasyBib app on my phone as all I need to do is scan the ISBN barcode area and it generates the MLA citation for me.

[Chelli]

Last year I printed book marks with a space for title, author and any vocab words they wanted to record. I also put 5 stars at the top so they could rate the book, then I punched a hole in the top. Every time they read a book they filled out a bookmark and put it on a ring. It worked very well and they were really motivated to keep reading and adding bookmarks to their ring.

I love this idea. Did you make the bookmark yourself or find it online?

[rwilk]

95 percent of our books come from the library.  They automatically track reading history.  Each month, I take the list, and break it down by independent reads, read alouds, and designate fiction and non-fiction.  I also have a poetry section.  I bold favorite titles for the month.  

 

It's a pretty easy system.  We typically have 500-750 titles from the library in a year.  The record keeping system doesn't get everything (library sales, used book store finds....) but it gets most things. 

[MinivanMom]

I start tracking books the books they read in 5th grade. I just have them write the books in on their weekly checklist or planner. They sometimes forget, so I do make a point of reminding them to do it and checking their list periodically.

[J&JMom]

I track everyone's reading using bookshelves in Good Reads:  annual group read alouds, individual reading, and my personal. I have since they were in kindergarten. I keep all the lists under my account and enter the titles myself.

 

Edited June 16, 2016 by J&JMom

[Chrysalis Academy]

Word doc on the computer, updated by me, here too.  I want the list, they don't care, and I don't want to make reading into a schooly chore, and I know they'd forget half the time. So I just do it. Lots of our books come from the library, too, so I just mark them down before they go back in the return bag.  Or I see what they're reading, it isn't that hard. I've just got two kids, though, if I had more I'd probably need more of a system.

[Jess4879]

I love this idea. Did you make the bookmark yourself or find it online?

 

I originally found the idea here:  http://www.thelearningtrunk.com/wow-bookmarks/  and then I made my own the way I wanted them.  I am willing to share the ones I made, if you want them. :)  We kept the W.O.W words (words of worth) idea.  I just explained to the kids what it meant.  I had them write down any words they didn't know or really liked.  For awhile I gave them a little prize if they used one of their W.O.W words later in their writing. 

 

Next year I want to use this idea I found on Pinterest: 

[Jess4879]

95 percent of our books come from the library.  They automatically track reading history.  Each month, I take the list, and break it down by independent reads, read alouds, and designate fiction and non-fiction.  I also have a poetry section.  I bold favorite titles for the month.  

 

It's a pretty easy system.  We typically have 500-750 titles from the library in a year.  The record keeping system doesn't get everything (library sales, used book store finds....) but it gets most things. 

 

I really wish our library did this! 

[Guest]

I have a section for books read in my bullet journal.

[Chelli]

I originally found the idea here:  http://www.thelearningtrunk.com/wow-bookmarks/  and then I made my own the way I wanted them.  I am willing to share the ones I made, if you want them. :)  We kept the W.O.W words (words of worth) idea.  I just explained to the kids what it meant.  I had them write down any words they didn't know or really liked.  For awhile I gave them a little prize if they used one of their W.O.W words later in their writing. 

 

Next year I want to use this idea I found on Pinterest:  make this summer.jpg

 

I created a printable off of the bookshelf idea you found on Pinterest.

 

You can download it for free here.

 

I loved it when I saw it so I had to make it!

[Eagle]

I created a printable off of the bookshelf idea you found on Pinterest.

 

You can download it for free here.

 

I loved it when I saw it so I had to make it!

Thank you so much!! I loved it too and plan to use yours to record our reading.

[SoCal_Bear]

I do...it is a feature that is part of my homeschool planner. Homeschool Tracker. I really like it because the reading is included as part of the overall reports I run.

 

 

[Jess4879]

I created a printable off of the bookshelf idea you found on Pinterest.

 

You can download it for free here.

 

I loved it when I saw it so I had to make it!

 

Awesome!  Thanks for sharing! :)

[Eagle]

I created a printable off of the bookshelf idea you found on Pinterest.

 

You can download it for free here.

 

I loved it when I saw it so I had to make it!

Thanks again! I filled it out this morning with some of the books Ds read this year for Grade 2. It looks so neat!

 

[ScoutTN]

I have a Donna Young reading list page saved. 

I keep one for each kid and one for RA's in my master notebook.

I write down books that I count for school. Not every single book they read, since some are fluff or rereads etc.

 

I am very much a pen and paper person. 

[BatmansWife]

This year I got my daughter a reading log/journal so she can keep track herself.  I searched high and low for the one I thought we'd like the best.  We really do like it too.  It has space for 100 books and she really enjoys the different things to fill out for each book...it's kind of like her own personal book reviews.  I think it will be neat for her to keep and look back on too.  I got it from Amazon.  They have several different covers, the insides are all the same.  It's a very nice quality journal and you can't beat the price.  

 

Reading Log.  It's the first 5 that are by SmART Bookx.  My daughter has the owls one and really wants to get their new Antique Books one.  In fact, I just ordered the Antique Books one for a coworker along with some magnetic bookmarks as a going away present.  She loves reading...I know she'll love this journal.  

 

When my oldest was younger she made a paper chain, each link with the title and author of a book she read.  It got so long we hung it back and forth across the ceiling in our dining room.  Of course, it wasn't something that you'd be able to keep...but it was just such a neat visual of how many books she read that year.  That might be a fun idea, in addition to a journal that can be kept.  

[Cindyz]

These are the books from 4th grade.  The link shows the books for 3rd grade and explains the process.

 

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/519041-books-my-3rd-grader-read-this-year/?do=findComment&comment=5738182

 

 

 

 

[Targhee]

These are the books from 4th grade.  The link shows the books for 3rd grade and explains the process.

 

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/519041-books-my-3rd-grader-read-this-year/?do=findComment&comment=5738182

 

 

 

What do you use for your cover collage?

SaveSave

[kalliemorgan]

I originally found the idea here: http://www.thelearningtrunk.com/wow-bookmarks/ and then I made my own the way I wanted them. I am willing to share the ones I made, if you want them. :) We kept the W.O.W words (words of worth) idea. I just explained to the kids what it meant. I had them write down any words they didn't know or really liked. For awhile I gave them a little prize if they used one of their W.O.W words later in their writing.

 

Next year I want to use this idea I found on Pinterest: make this summer.jpg

Thanks for this link! These will be perfect for us!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Cindyz]

What do you use for your cover collage?

SaveSave

 

I use picasa. I read that they were discontinuing the program though so I'm not sure if it's still available.  

[sarahjokim]

I use Pinterest - I love the visual overview. At the end of the year I show my son and we have a conversation about his favorites and he gets all nostalgic - "I loved that one!" :)

 

This year:

https://www.pinterest.com/sarahjokim/books-read-to-kiddo-in-2016/

 

Last year:

https://www.pinterest.com/sarahjokim/books-read-to-kiddo-in-2015/

[....]

Wow, you all are high-tech!  I have a piece of paper jammed into the back of my binder where I jot down their titles.   :D   I'm a horrible record-keeper!

[tomandlorih]

I use an Excel spreadsheet.  My kids know when they finish a book to leave it by the computer.  I record the title, author and ISBN number (and have a column for the MM/YY) and give it back to them to shelve or put in the library return bag.  Easy and quick to print at the end of the year.   

[wendyroo]

I tried and tried different techy approach - OneNote, excel, Google form, Good Reads - and they all failed for one reason or another. My biggest issue was needing a lot of flexibility...a child reading a book to himself is simple to record, but how did I want to "file" a book that an older child and I buddy read to a younger sibling. It got convoluted.

 

So I went super low tech. I bought a nice, lined journal and I write about we are reading. It is simply a chronological list of book the kids and I read with notes about who read what to whom and anything else I want to remember.

 

Sometimes the kids bring me books when they are done to be recorded. Sometimes I write titles down while sorting through a child's overflowing bedroom bookcase. I always take a moment to jot down titles we read before we return books to the library.

 

Wendy

[Alice]

I just have a list on my computer. I update it weekly. I don't keep track of picture books, it's way too many to include them unless they were something super special or school related. Otherwise I keep it all. I put them loosely in categories: Independent Reading, Read Aloud, Audiobooks. As my oldest is starting to read more books for specific classes I have started to put those in separate categories on the list. 

[Amy M]

We only track independent reading, not picture books or read alouds, even if done for school. But if they read a book for school, starting in second grade, I had them keep a reading log, as TWTM suggests. They would write the title and author, and if it was a longer chapter book, sometimes a short summary of it. a lot of the books they would read for school for book basket, we don't record. But then my kids saw my husbands personal Word doc with his book list and personal rating system for each year and asked to have one. So now they run to him every time they have a new chapter book to add to that. 😃 so I like how I got myself out of a job there.

 

My husband also wants me to keep track of the books I read, but I don't like to take the time, though I love the idea, I started a goodreads account with good intentions, but never did anything with it. Another option for you might be the Book Crawler app. You can scan books with it, tag them, put them in collections, and add notes to them if you desire. You could have collections for so-and-so 2016 etc. It supposedly can sync or something with good reads, but I've not used it for that yet. :)

[MamaSprout]

I really wish our library did this! 

 

Most libraries do. You usually need to ask them to turn on your "history" though, they can't track what you read without your permission. You usually can log in the same way you renew books online.

[Caprice]

Last year I printed book marks with a space for title, author and any vocab words they wanted to record. I also put 5 stars at the top so they could rate the book, then I punched a hole in the bookmark and put it on a ring. It worked very well and they were really motivated to keep reading and adding bookmarks to their ring.

I haven't finished the thread, I will go back and read now, but I had to say that I love this idea! I am definitely stealing this, if that's ok.

 

I kept a record in a nice hardbound journal for a couple years, and I tried to get my kids to take over when their speed of reading outpaced my noticing what books they were carrying around, but they never followed through.

 

Edited to take out an accidental cut and paste.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Caprice

[J-rap]

I only tracked in high school, and even then, I didn't necessarily record everything.  Just the books that I felt were worthy of being listed on their transcripts.  

[Bay Lake Mom]

I really wish our library did this!

If your library has a decent website, they should display the list checked out (including history) under your account.

[Jess4879]

I haven't finished the thread, I will go back and read now, but I had to say that I love this idea! I am definitely stealing this, if that's ok.

 

I kept a record in a nice hardbound journal for a couple years, and I tried to get my kids to take over when their speed of reading outpaced my noticing what books they were carrying around, but they never followed through.

 

Edited to take out an accidental cut and paste.

I can't get the file to attach on the forum for some reason, but if you'd like the bookmarks I made, message me your email and I will send them to you.  It's a word document, so you can tweak it how you wish. :)

[Jess4879]

If your library has a decent website, they should display the list checked out (including history) under your account.

 

I haven't been able to locate the history, but will ask the librarian at our next library day. :)

[Bics]

If your library has a decent website, they should display the list checked out (including history) under your account.

For privacy reasons, they should not. I didn't even know it was an option, because I assumed they did keep track once and asked for help remembering a title I wanted again. The librarian told me it was against the law for them to keep that information. Once the book was checked in, it is off my record.  I just took her word for it! I wonder if it is a federal law or changes by state, or as a previous poster said, you have to give permission first.

[purpleowl]

For privacy reasons, they should not. I didn't even know it was an option, because I assumed they did keep track once and asked for help remembering a title I wanted again. The librarian told me it was against the law for them to keep that information. Once the book was checked in, it is off my record. I just took her word for it! I wonder if it is a federal law or changes by state, or as a previous poster said, you have to give permission first.

That's odd. I know my library keeps track (I've used my checkout history before to update DD's reading list). A Google search for "library checkout history" yields results from libraries in several states with instructions for how to access your checkout history, with some noting that it's an optional feature. I'm not sure why it would be illegal or a privacy concern to keep track of what books you've checked out.

 

Not doubting that that's what you were told, just saying I don't understand why that would be the case.

 

To answer the OP, I made a Google form and enter each book there, which puts it in a spreadsheet on my Google drive. When it's time to put it in the portfolio, I export to Excel and play around with the order a bit (sorting by subject area).

[Jandy]

I currently use a secondary Goodreads account that I manage for my preschooler, but since it's largely picture books and lots of repeats, it's not really complete. I just try to remember to do it as I take books back to the library. I'll get more intentional about it as she gets older. I'll pass it over to her (or let her use a journal or something if she prefers - I'm personally enjoying my pen-and-paper log this year, though I still also use Goodreads) when she's older and wants to do it herself. And if she doesn't, that's fine, too.

 

I'm an inveterate list maker and I wish SO MUCH I had a list of everything I read before I started keeping track myself in high school. I can do that for her, so if she cares, she'll have it. I also track her movies on Letterboxd, which is awesome because it allows for logging rewatches (though I don't always track the hundreds of times she watches things at this age!).

 

I love some of the other ideas here! Will definitely be printing out that visual bookshelf when I can! That's a cool way to visualize what you've read in a year.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[shadah]

I ask twice a week and jot titles in my planner.

[kaxy]

Wanted to share, you might be able to tweak the Goodreads settings to hide the uh, other stuff:

 

Go to your feed in your desktop. There's a settings icon on the right. See if "everyone" is selected and if so, change to "friends and following." You can also select which items you'd want to appear in the feed.

 

I'd paste a screenshot in here but I don't see how.