What does independent reading time look like in your home?

[hisforhomeschooling]

I have an 8yo 3rd grader and a 6yo 1st grader who have both completed OPG and can read whatever I give them. Then a 3 and 4yo.

 

I have lists I want to work from for the older 2, but would love to hear how ppl do independent reading. My oldest 3 are boys and the older 2 fight me if I say it’s reading time. They read on their own all the time but don’t want to read if I “assign†it. Would you set up a reward system like they sometimes do in schools? How long should they be reading mommy-assigned books for daily? They love being read aloud to do it’s not that they don’t like books or reading. I think I just need ideas on how to present it and do it consistently.

 

Thanks!

[Alice]

At that age I just let them read what they wanted. No assigned books. I picked books for read aloud and would get books I thought they would like out of the library and give it to them as an option.

 

We do assigned reading more in middle school and up.

[regentrude]

My oldest 3 are boys and the older 2 fight me if I say it’s reading time. They read on their own all the time but don’t want to read if I “assign†it. 

 

Then let them just read. I don't see a point in killing their love for reading by forcing them to read specific books you picked. At that age, my primary focus would be on making reading enjoyable.

Make sure they have access to good books, give them books for birthdays and Christmas, take them to the library so they can develop a strong habit of reading for fun.  

Provide audioboks/do read alouds that are a bit above their independent reading ability; that is a great way to build vocabulary and let them experience more complex language and storylines.

[nixpix5]

At that age I just let them read what they wanted. No assigned books. I picked books for read aloud and would get books I thought they would like out of the library and give it to them as an option.

 

We do assigned reading more in middle school and up.

This is what we do. They love to read and read alot on their own. I do assign non fiction for history and science to my 2nd grader and have just been setting a timer for her (or now having Alexa remind us).

[wendyroo]

My kids are about the same ages as yours.  I have three boys (a 3rd grader who is almost 9, a 1st grader who is 6.5 and a preschooler who is 4.5) and then a toddler girl.

 

Each of my boys has a reading bin.  I fill it with a variety of genres: non-fiction, fiction, biographies, poetry, even an occasional graphic novel.  I don't assign exactly what book they must read at any given time; they just choose from the bin and then work their way through the book until they finish (except in extenuating circumstances).  Sometimes if I think they are getting in a rut, I will let their bin-pickings dwindle to force them to try something they are avoiding, but normally I keep their bin pretty full.

 

My 4 year old's assigned reading time is part of his school time.  He chooses a book (Bob book, We Both Read, phonics reader, etc) to read with me.  He normally only has the stamina for ~5 minutes (this is on top of his phonics lesson), which I am fine with.

 

My 6 year old does his assigned reading aloud...not because he can't read to himself, but he is a very social creature and he enjoys reading to an audience.  He reads (for about 10 minutes) to me and his little sister right after he finishes breakfast.  Little Sis is in her high chair finishing eating and I am tidying up the kitchen.  Mr. 6 sits nearby and reads to us, and then I ask him a question about the reading so he can narrating back to me.  Next year, when he is in second grade, he will start writing a one sentence narration about his reading.

 

My 8, almost 9, year old much prefers to do his reading to himself.  Recently, as his work load has increased a bit, he has started doing his reading before breakfast so that we can still wrap up our school day by around 10 or 10:30.  He normally reads and narrates two chapters a day (~15 minutes of reading).  We have a shared Google Doc into which I have put a bunch of opened ended literary discussion questions: "In what way does someone you know in real life behave like the main character in the story?", "What is the problem or conflict in the story, and how does it stand in the protagonist’s way?", "Describe an example of personification in the story."  After he reads a chapter of his book he then chooses one question to answer...in a complete, interesting sentence.  Later in the day, I go into the Google Doc and offer corrections and suggestions, explaining how he needs to fix his punctuation, pointing out confusing or ambiguous wording, exhorting him to add more detail to a short, boring sentence, etc.

 

None of my boys do a lot of assigned reading, but I'm not worried because they do hours of free reading every day and also listen to a lot of read alouds.  Their assigned reading is mostly to 1) "force" them into reading some books that are more challenging  than what they normally choose for themselves and 2) giving them something to practice narrating/writing about.

 

Wendy

 

[Dramorellis]

They read whatever they want (as long as it is appropriate) for as long as they want all day long without interference from me. I don't feel it unreasonable to ask that they read from a book of my choosing each day as well. I have a book box of selections I would like for them to get through. They can pick what they want to read next for SSR time. Depending upon their age and length of chapters I have either assigned a chapter at a time or required reading for a set length of time. Right now my 11 year old has to read for 30 minutes daily and my almost 8 year old for 20 minutes. This is a part of their daily checklist that I write on the white board of what they need to accomplish that day. I choose books they may not pick on their own but that I think they will get something out of the experience. 

[Momto6inIN]

I gave a list for my 4th grade DD at the beginning of the school year and she has to read for 30 minutes per day from that list. It includes nonfiction books that we have about whatever we're studying in science as well as biographies and fiction related to our history studies. Without fail she picked the nonfiction and easy readers first lol and now that we're closing in on the last quarter of the year she "has" to read the longer fiction chapter books. She doesn't have any problems reading them, and she usually even likes them by the time she's done, but they are just not what she would choose to read on her own. Which is fine, she gets her fill of fluffy easy twaddle fairy and doggy books from the library and I don't say a word about them. But when it's for school, she knows she will read the good stuff :)

 

Sent from my Z988 using Tapatalk

[SilverMoon]

In my house once you can read well independently you're expected to do so daily. I take the time to build a collection of books for each particular child. This collection includes books at their level, a bit above their level, and below their level, in a variety of genres. They are free to choose whichever book they like from that collection.

 

My 4th and 1st graders take their readers (from that collection I made them) to their favorite quiet reading nook and read. When they're finished they'll pass back through the room I'm in, and they'll tell me what the characters in their story are up to. Some days we have a long discussion about their book and others we barely mention it. They each have plenty of books they read on their own without my involvement. Constantly.

 

 

My kids read "mommy-assigned" literature from learning to read until they graduate. In high school they get structured mommy-made schedules to go with it.

[Ellie]

It looks like a trip the library weekly, where people of all ages check out as many books as they want or none at all, and those books in a basket on the floor in the living room. Children choose to read them or not.

[wendyroo]

It looks like a trip the library weekly, where people of all ages check out as many books as they want or none at all, and those books in a basket on the floor in the living room. Children choose to read them or not.

 

I think part of the problem with this plan is that libraries nowadays have a lot more pseudo-books.  The children's sections of our libraries look completely different than they did when I was a kid.  The actual books (with pages of continuous text) are limited and look very stuffy and uninteresting compared to all the other offerings.  There are toys and crafts and computer games.  There are umpteen shelves of leveled lego/batman/Sponge Bob/Angry Birds/etc readers.  Graphic novels are EVERYWHERE.  Even lots of the non-fiction books have TV and movie tie-ins to Kratt Brothers and Bill Nye the Science Guy. 

 

My kids LOVE to read, but if left to their own devices they would happily only check out and read non-literary twaddle.  It just looks so shiny and compelling...kind of like sugar cereal packaging at the grocery store.  That's not to say that I complete forbid twaddle...or sugar cereal.  But I don't think my kids have the maturity in either situation to regulate their own intake and strike a healthy balance.

 

Wendy

[Peaceseeker]

At those ages I let them read whatever they wanted and tried to encourage a love of reading. I read aloud to them the books I wanted them to hear for school or for higher literature exposure.

 

Once my kids got older I assigned history, science, and literature books to be read independently. But we did all that together for most of elementary school.

[OneStepAtATime]

FWIW, I developed my love of reading because it was something I saw my parents doing for themselves and there were always great books around to read and there was only one TV in the house and use of that TV was strictly controlled.  When there was downtime I had books to turn to, but I wasn't forced to do so.  It was just an option.  Reading was also something I associated early on with a fun time to be with Mom.  It was not made out to be some academic necessity. Reading was something Mom did with me before going to bed or for fun during an afternoon and was something we did while we cuddled and was something we had fun giggling about or discussing.  She let me pick the books I wanted us to read together.  Sometimes she suggested books but mostly she let me pick.  It was not forced on me.  I came to associate reading with love and hugs and exploring new and interesting ideas/characters and with having some autonomy.  I did have required readings for school (ps) and did those but I fell in love with reading because it was MY thing.  Something I had as an option to do and was allowed choices in when and what.  Reading for pleasure was not forced on me or dictated to me.  As I got older I got more into reading and read voraciously.  If I had been forced to read every day beyond academics, with no real choice, I don't know that I would have been nearly as enthusiastic.  And frankly, even though I loved reading and read a lot, I didn't really get super into reading long chapter books on a daily basis until I was about 9-10.  I'm glad I was given the time to develop my interest in reading at my own pace.

 

By the time I was a pre-teen I had even created my own card cataloging system for my books.   It was my idea and my execution of that idea.

 

Do some kids need some structure and encouragement to read?  Yes.  Yes they do.  But it sounds like your kids are already into reading.  They just want to have some autonomy, not be micromanaged.  I would have some academically required reading that has purpose to it (so they can see why this particular reading assignment is useful) and just let the rest be their choice.  Provide them with plenty of reading material but don't micromanage them.  

 

 

[Fawnmoscato]

I wouldn't assign any reading...I simply don't see the point to it at this age. If they are reading all the time, that's wonderful. There are some kids that would do fine with a required reading list, but others not. I would hate to make reading a chore. If there is a list of books you want them to read, get them on audio book or read them aloud. 

 

As for what it looks like in our house- both kids read whatever they want. There are a lot of books I want them to be exposed to, so I check them out at the library and put them on a bookshelf. About 80% of those books get read. My daughter recently read Number the Stars because I had talked about how much I enjoyed the book as a kid. A lot of books are read because I talk about them so much. 

[Tsuga]

I have an 8yo 3rd grader and a 6yo 1st grader who have both completed OPG and can read whatever I give them. Then a 3 and 4yo.

 

I have lists I want to work from for the older 2, but would love to hear how ppl do independent reading. My oldest 3 are boys and the older 2 fight me if I say it’s reading time. They read on their own all the time but don’t want to read if I “assign†it. Would you set up a reward system like they sometimes do in schools? How long should they be reading mommy-assigned books for daily? They love being read aloud to do it’s not that they don’t like books or reading. I think I just need ideas on how to present it and do it consistently.

 

Thanks!

 

If the point is vocab exposure, I'd consider read-aloud until they ask if they can skip ahead.

 

If the point is to get them to love reading, I'd keep doing what you're doing already because it seems to be working!

[hollyhock]

Then let them just read. I don't see a point in killing their love for reading by forcing them to read specific books you picked. At that age, my primary focus would be on making reading enjoyable.

 

This exactly. I don't assign reading at young ages either. Just provide good books and let them read for fun!

[SanDiegoMom]

Regarding twaddle, or non-worthy books -- I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on, including completely trivial fare like the babysitter's club and Sweet Valley High books.  I think as long as kids are exposed to lots of good books as well, eventually they will recognize what constitutes good writing vs bad.  I think it's a very good skill.  Not to say you can't steer them towards better choices when you can and definitely don't want a diet full of poorly written books, but also don't be afraid if they get attached to a certain series that makes you roll your eyes.  They will outgrow it. :-)

 

For reading time DURING school, I have a basket of books that align with the history or science we are studying, and tell them to choose and read for 30 minutes. They just have to.  I do make sure the books are interesting, well written, and appropriate to their level. So if they were in elementary, I would choose books like A Walk in the Rainforest by Rebecca Johnson because I know it is well written and would appeal to one of my kids.  And I would choose the secret codes or the history of codes for the other one.  There are a lot of deadly dull elementary school books out there that will kill the joy of reading! 

[Sneezyone]

I’ve always alternated between mom-assigned books and kid’s choice. Independent reading time has always been 10 min. Per grade and they get as far in their books each day as their reading speed allows. They quickly figure out that choosing books that are too easy makes for a very boring read.

Edited February 22, 2018 by Sneezyone

[hisforhomeschooling]

At that age I just let them read what they wanted. No assigned books. I picked books for read aloud and would get books I thought they would like out of the library and give it to them as an option.

 

We do assigned reading more in middle school and up.

 

Thanks! 

 

Then let them just read. I don't see a point in killing their love for reading by forcing them to read specific books you picked. At that age, my primary focus would be on making reading enjoyable.

Make sure they have access to good books, give them books for birthdays and Christmas, take them to the library so they can develop a strong habit of reading for fun.  

Provide audioboks/do read alouds that are a bit above their independent reading ability; that is a great way to build vocabulary and let them experience more complex language and storylines.

 

Thanks! That's pretty much what we are already doing. They just free-read all twaddle, and I was thinking about giving them some more structure.

 

I started my kids with mandatory reading as soon as they could read. I started with something like ten minutes and have worked up to an hour per day for one child and 45 minutes per day for the other child (set a timer), and "count" this toward school work. If they did not read quite a lot outside of school, I'd add time but they do, so it's not necessary . They can read to me aloud, or read to themselves and then tell me about it. Their choice, and at a certain point they almost always chose to read to themselves because it's faster. All the books I wanted them to read are always kept on a particular shelf and they can pick any selection from that shelf. 

 

Reading regular books is the primary way my kids  get new to them information and ideas. If we were ensconced in some big program, learning more from textbooks or something along those lines, I'd probably take a different tact. 

 

I still do all their school reading out loud (history and science and literature) just for convenience since we only have one set of books or they're on my kindle. And, with lit especially, because then the 3 and 4 year old get to hear the classics, too. 

 

This is what we do. They love to read and read alot on their own. I do assign non fiction for history and science to my 2nd grader and have just been setting a timer for her (or now having Alexa remind us).

 

Maybe my answer is to assign "extra" history or science independently either for x minutes or one chapter or whatever. I could never figure out how to manage more reading out loud to them in these subjects when there are so many books and only so many hours in a day. Thanks for the thought. 

 

Every week we go to the library and stagger out with full book bags. I say no to books Idon’t think have good values or are age inappropriate. I make suggestions, “You might like this one. It’s about some children who find a door into a whole nother world where animals talk!†A lot of the time they’re willing to give things I obviously like a try, but they do have tastes. No one here likes “boy and his dog†books, for example. That’s fine with me. I limit screen time. And both dh and I are readers. For us, all those things have come together so that my older two just love to read, do it for fun, and have read large numbers of children’s classics just for fun. I know it doesn’t work for everyone, but I would start there. :)

 

Eta: my first grader has vision issues and isn’t reading independently yet.

 

My husband and I both love to read, too. If I let them pick at the library, which I always do, its Pokemon, Star Wars and superheroes 100% of the time. If I suggest other books, they won't read them on their own. 

 

 

My kids are about the same ages as yours.  I have three boys (a 3rd grader who is almost 9, a 1st grader who is 6.5 and a preschooler who is 4.5) and then a toddler girl.

 

Each of my boys has a reading bin.  I fill it with a variety of genres: non-fiction, fiction, biographies, poetry, even an occasional graphic novel.  I don't assign exactly what book they must read at any given time; they just choose from the bin and then work their way through the book until they finish (except in extenuating circumstances).  Sometimes if I think they are getting in a rut, I will let their bin-pickings dwindle to force them to try something they are avoiding, but normally I keep their bin pretty full.

 

My 4 year old's assigned reading time is part of his school time.  He chooses a book (Bob book, We Both Read, phonics reader, etc) to read with me.  He normally only has the stamina for ~5 minutes (this is on top of his phonics lesson), which I am fine with.

 

My 6 year old does his assigned reading aloud...not because he can't read to himself, but he is a very social creature and he enjoys reading to an audience.  He reads (for about 10 minutes) to me and his little sister right after he finishes breakfast.  Little Sis is in her high chair finishing eating and I am tidying up the kitchen.  Mr. 6 sits nearby and reads to us, and then I ask him a question about the reading so he can narrating back to me.  Next year, when he is in second grade, he will start writing a one sentence narration about his reading.

 

My 8, almost 9, year old much prefers to do his reading to himself.  Recently, as his work load has increased a bit, he has started doing his reading before breakfast so that we can still wrap up our school day by around 10 or 10:30.  He normally reads and narrates two chapters a day (~15 minutes of reading).  We have a shared Google Doc into which I have put a bunch of opened ended literary discussion questions: "In what way does someone you know in real life behave like the main character in the story?", "What is the problem or conflict in the story, and how does it stand in the protagonist’s way?", "Describe an example of personification in the story."  After he reads a chapter of his book he then chooses one question to answer...in a complete, interesting sentence.  Later in the day, I go into the Google Doc and offer corrections and suggestions, explaining how he needs to fix his punctuation, pointing out confusing or ambiguous wording, exhorting him to add more detail to a short, boring sentence, etc.

 

None of my boys do a lot of assigned reading, but I'm not worried because they do hours of free reading every day and also listen to a lot of read alouds.  Their assigned reading is mostly to 1) "force" them into reading some books that are more challenging  than what they normally choose for themselves and 2) giving them something to practice narrating/writing about.

 

Wendy

 

 

Wendy, we have the same age spread and genders :) I think we're often on the same boards, too :) Thanks for the ideas. I like the idea of book bins with genres they wouldn't choose for themselves. 

 

They read whatever they want (as long as it is appropriate) for as long as they want all day long without interference from me. I don't feel it unreasonable to ask that they read from a book of my choosing each day as well. I have a book box of selections I would like for them to get through. They can pick what they want to read next for SSR time. Depending upon their age and length of chapters I have either assigned a chapter at a time or required reading for a set length of time. Right now my 11 year old has to read for 30 minutes daily and my almost 8 year old for 20 minutes. This is a part of their daily checklist that I write on the white board of what they need to accomplish that day. I choose books they may not pick on their own but that I think they will get something out of the experience. 

 

This is kind of how I was visualizing it. As part of their schoolwork. My boys will never pick something that isn't twaddle in their free reading. Except I have found "Trumpet of the Swan" in their bathroom, so I guess I should say 99% of the time they pick twaddle. Haha! Of course, I guess I am not setting a great example in that respect because 99% of what I read these days for fun is twaddle, too. So...food for thought there!

 

[hisforhomeschooling]

I gave a list for my 4th grade DD at the beginning of the school year and she has to read for 30 minutes per day from that list. It includes nonfiction books that we have about whatever we're studying in science as well as biographies and fiction related to our history studies. Without fail she picked the nonfiction and easy readers first lol and now that we're closing in on the last quarter of the year she "has" to read the longer fiction chapter books. She doesn't have any problems reading them, and she usually even likes them by the time she's done, but they are just not what she would choose to read on her own. Which is fine, she gets her fill of fluffy easy twaddle fairy and doggy books from the library and I don't say a word about them. But when it's for school, she knows she will read the good stuff :)

 

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I'm feeling like this is possibly the solution. Keep reading good lit out loud because they enjoy that (because I do voices and get really into it. I was an English teacher in my previous life and my teenaged students loved being read to as well, haha.) and give them nonfiction readings to go along with other subjects as part of their school time.

 

In my house once you can read well independently you're expected to do so daily. I take the time to build a collection of books for each particular child. This collection includes books at their level, a bit above their level, and below their level, in a variety of genres. They are free to choose whichever book they like from that collection.

 

My 4th and 1st graders take their readers (from that collection I made them) to their favorite quiet reading nook and read. When they're finished they'll pass back through the room I'm in, and they'll tell me what the characters in their story are up to. Some days we have a long discussion about their book and others we barely mention it. They each have plenty of books they read on their own without my involvement. Constantly.

 

 

My kids read "mommy-assigned" literature from learning to read until they graduate. In high school they get structured mommy-made schedules to go with it.

 

I always appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. You seem really relaxed but also organized somehow. 

 

It looks like a trip the library weekly, where people of all ages check out as many books as they want or none at all, and those books in a basket on the floor in the living room. Children choose to read them or not.

 

I've done that before and it is all Pokemon graphic novels, haha. 

 

I think part of the problem with this plan is that libraries nowadays have a lot more pseudo-books.  The children's sections of our libraries look completely different than they did when I was a kid.  The actual books (with pages of continuous text) are limited and look very stuffy and uninteresting compared to all the other offerings.  There are toys and crafts and computer games.  There are umpteen shelves of leveled lego/batman/Sponge Bob/Angry Birds/etc readers.  Graphic novels are EVERYWHERE.  Even lots of the non-fiction books have TV and movie tie-ins to Kratt Brothers and Bill Nye the Science Guy. 

 

My kids LOVE to read, but if left to their own devices they would happily only check out and read non-literary twaddle.  It just looks so shiny and compelling...kind of like sugar cereal packaging at the grocery store.  That's not to say that I complete forbid twaddle...or sugar cereal.  But I don't think my kids have the maturity in either situation to regulate their own intake and strike a healthy balance.

 

Wendy

 

Yup. Again. All. Pokemon. Books. 

 

At those ages I let them read whatever they wanted and tried to encourage a love of reading. I read aloud to them the books I wanted them to hear for school or for higher literature exposure.

 

Once my kids got older I assigned history, science, and literature books to be read independently. But we did all that together for most of elementary school.

 

Thanks! Another vote for continuing to read aloud and assigning history/science at some point. 

 

FWIW, I developed my love of reading because it was something I saw my parents doing for themselves and there were always great books around to read and there was only one TV in the house and use of that TV was strictly controlled.  When there was downtime I had books to turn to, but I wasn't forced to do so.  It was just an option.  Reading was also something I associated early on with a fun time to be with Mom.  It was not made out to be some academic necessity. Reading was something Mom did with me before going to bed or for fun during an afternoon and was something we did while we cuddled and was something we had fun giggling about or discussing.  She let me pick the books I wanted us to read together.  Sometimes she suggested books but mostly she let me pick.  It was not forced on me.  I came to associate reading with love and hugs and exploring new and interesting ideas/characters and with having some autonomy.  I did have required readings for school (ps) and did those but I fell in love with reading because it was MY thing.  Something I had as an option to do and was allowed choices in when and what.  Reading for pleasure was not forced on me or dictated to me.  As I got older I got more into reading and read voraciously.  If I had been forced to read every day beyond academics, with no real choice, I don't know that I would have been nearly as enthusiastic.  And frankly, even though I loved reading and read a lot, I didn't really get super into reading long chapter books on a daily basis until I was about 9-10.  I'm glad I was given the time to develop my interest in reading at my own pace.

 

By the time I was a pre-teen I had even created my own card cataloging system for my books.   It was my idea and my execution of that idea.

 

Do some kids need some structure and encouragement to read?  Yes.  Yes they do.  But it sounds like your kids are already into reading.  They just want to have some autonomy, not be micromanaged.  I would have some academically required reading that has purpose to it (so they can see why this particular reading assignment is useful) and just let the rest be their choice.  Provide them with plenty of reading material but don't micromanage them.  

 

Thanks for your thoughts! I read way more quality literature as a teen than I do now. Life burns me out a lot of the time and twaddle is my escape. Twaddle and a bubble bath and some dark chocolate is my happy place. 

 

I wouldn't assign any reading...I simply don't see the point to it at this age. If they are reading all the time, that's wonderful. There are some kids that would do fine with a required reading list, but others not. I would hate to make reading a chore. If there is a list of books you want them to read, get them on audio book or read them aloud. 

 

As for what it looks like in our house- both kids read whatever they want. There are a lot of books I want them to be exposed to, so I check them out at the library and put them on a bookshelf. About 80% of those books get read. My daughter recently read Number the Stars because I had talked about how much I enjoyed the book as a kid. A lot of books are read because I talk about them so much. 

 

I think I'll keep reading the books I love out loud to them. Thanks!

 

If the point is vocab exposure, I'd consider read-aloud until they ask if they can skip ahead.

 

If the point is to get them to love reading, I'd keep doing what you're doing already because it seems to be working!

 

Not worried about vocab exposure, and they do love reading. Thanks!

[hisforhomeschooling]

This exactly. I don't assign reading at young ages either. Just provide good books and let them read for fun!

 

Thanks!

 

Regarding twaddle, or non-worthy books -- I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on, including completely trivial fare like the babysitter's club and Sweet Valley High books.  I think as long as kids are exposed to lots of good books as well, eventually they will recognize what constitutes good writing vs bad.  I think it's a very good skill.  Not to say you can't steer them towards better choices when you can and definitely don't want a diet full of poorly written books, but also don't be afraid if they get attached to a certain series that makes you roll your eyes.  They will outgrow it. :-)

 

For reading time DURING school, I have a basket of books that align with the history or science we are studying, and tell them to choose and read for 30 minutes. They just have to.  I do make sure the books are interesting, well written, and appropriate to their level. So if they were in elementary, I would choose books like A Walk in the Rainforest by Rebecca Johnson because I know it is well written and would appeal to one of my kids.  And I would choose the secret codes or the history of codes for the other one.  There are a lot of deadly dull elementary school books out there that will kill the joy of reading! 

 

I mean...are you sure they will outgrow it? The number of Pokemon graphic novels they have consumed at the library is rivaled only by my husbands comic book collection...

 

I’ve always alternated between mom-assigned books and kid’s choice. Independent reading time has always been 10 min. Per grade and they get as far in their books each day as their reading speed allows. They quickly figure out that choosing books that are too easy makes for a very boring read.

 

Thanks!

[fralala]

 

I mean...are you sure they will outgrow it? The number of Pokemon graphic novels they have consumed at the library is rivaled only by my husbands comic book collection...

 

Well, you know what, maybe they will end up being graphic novelists. My college roommate's thesis was a graphic novel (although not Pokemon). It is a valid and increasingly popular literary and art form, and it is possible that children who are familiar with it from a young age are gaining valuable knowledge and experience that those of us who are more comfortable with, say, Paddle-to-the-Sea, cannot impart.

 

Now, while I don't require reading, I am on a constant stealth mission to find new favorites, using our library's various databases and recommendations, as well as our friendly reference librarian...I've found, "Try to read the first chapter and see if you like this," is a lot more effective than requiring reading.

[Ellie]

 

 

 

Yup. Again. All. Pokemon. Books. 

 

 

I think I'll keep reading the books I love out loud to them. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

That's why I continued reading aloud to my dc. :-)

 

I don't believe in requiring children to read on their own. And when they read on their own, they get to read whatever they want. FTR, my mother wanted me to read something other than horse books, lol.

[cintinative]

I haven't read all the responses, but when mine were first reading, they would read aloud to me, and I always picked the books. If they wanted to read off school time, they got to pick those books, which were largely ones we had here or occasionally we would pick some from the library. 

 

Once they were reading independently, they started at 20 minutes/5 days a week and worked up to 30 minutes/5 days a week. All of those books have technically been "assigned."  Sometimes I will give them a stack to pick from and ask them to read one of them, but I picked every book in the stack. 

 

As far as "free reading" outside of school hours, my kids will generally not pick novels. The only exception has been that my oldest loved Harry Potter and read the whole series multiple times and he has also read The Chronicles of Prydain multiple times.  Other than that, their  "library picks" are Captain Underpants and Calvin and Hobbes.  =)   Those are fine, but they read them in their free time.

 

I share the issue that others have mentioned with the library having a lot of graphic novels and books that are not necessarily great.  I usually have to request the books we read and they may or may not come in from another branch.  

 

I spent most of my pre-teen and teen years reading awful twaddle so I am probably oversensitive to the idea of my kids reading that stuff. 

 

Also, we still read aloud here. I usually pick the harder selections from the history based reading and read those aloud.  

[MerryAtHope]

What kind of required reading do you do? I did have "required" reading at those ages, but it was things like Frog & Toad or Henry & Mudge etc..., not something to complement history or science. It was "fun" but not "Pokemon," LOL! I had a book basket of 10-15 books they could choose from, and I rotated books in and out every week. 

 

For library visits, you can direct their choices. For every 2 Pokemon books, they should choose one picture story book that is not based on any TV or movie characters...or something like that. Go through the stacks and pick out high interest books for them too. (Then it could be, for every 2 they pick, they should pick at least one from your stack.)

 

Yes, lots of reading aloud, but it won't kill them to read other types of books on their own too. I will say, at those ages it wasn't "independent" reading--I had them read out loud to me, so the book basket was things they read to me until they were really going strong with chapter books.

 

I gradually moved from the book basket to Sonlight "scheduled" readers (except we didn't follow the schedule, I just handed them the next book) as they moved into upper elementary--but even those lit. books are high interest, adventure, award-winning books, and not reading an Usborne book or other non-fiction. I mainly saved non-fiction for their choice or for things I read aloud. 

[OneStepAtATime]

By the way, another avenue for acquiring books besides the library are Estate sales.  Yes, Estate Sales. 

 

There are often really well kept quality books available at these sales and the cost is negligible.  DD and I found out about two local companies that do Estate Sales and have websites.  We are on their list.  When a sale is coming up, we get an email with a link to the address and photographs of the items available.  Almost always everything is half off on the last day and during the last hour or so they just want to get rid of stuff.  If the Estate Sale seems to have things we need, we bring our laundry basket and if they have books we can fill the basket with books and whatever else might be needed (such as computer paper, notebooks, etc.) and can get the whole thing for very little.  I've gotten beautiful hardbacks in near new condition for pennies or sometimes even free.  DD gets so excited about finding books at these sales.  (So do I).  We then pass them on to others or donate them to the library when we no longer need them.

[Alice]

Graphic novels are actually pretty cool. If they like them, there are lots of ones that you could offer them. We have ones of the Odyssey and Iliad, although they might be a too...graphic. ;) I found a lot of good suggestions from Farrar at I Capture the Rowhouse. Marcia Williams has the illustrated Shakespeare books that are really graphic novels. 

 

One thing I have done that has helped my kids to expand their reading horizons is to do required summer reading. I make a list of about 9-12 books and they have to read one a month from my list. They read a lot more than that but just the one per month from me. I try to make my list books that I think they will like but that they might not pick up on their own. 

 

 

[hisforhomeschooling]

What kind of required reading do you do? I did have "required" reading at those ages, but it was things like Frog & Toad or Henry & Mudge etc..., not something to complement history or science. It was "fun" but not "Pokemon," LOL! I had a book basket of 10-15 books they could choose from, and I rotated books in and out every week. 

 

For library visits, you can direct their choices. For every 2 Pokemon books, they should choose one picture story book that is not based on any TV or movie characters...or something like that. Go through the stacks and pick out high interest books for them too. (Then it could be, for every 2 they pick, they should pick at least one from your stack.)

 

Yes, lots of reading aloud, but it won't kill them to read other types of books on their own too. I will say, at those ages it wasn't "independent" reading--I had them read out loud to me, so the book basket was things they read to me until they were really going strong with chapter books.

 

I gradually moved from the book basket to Sonlight "scheduled" readers (except we didn't follow the schedule, I just handed them the next book) as they moved into upper elementary--but even those lit. books are high interest, adventure, award-winning books, and not reading an Usborne book or other non-fiction. I mainly saved non-fiction for their choice or for things I read aloud. 

 

I love the ratio idea! We haven't done the "reading time" more than once or twice because there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth and I didn't want it to be like that. Once I told them they could pick anything. The second time, I handed them books (I gave the 8yo A Cricket in Times Square, which we had already started and he liked when I was reading it out loud and I gave the 6yo a Beatrix Potter book we've read in the past and had him read it out loud to me). Despair. Anguish. So I decided to pick some smart, experienced brains before trying it again, haha! Glad I did! 

[hisforhomeschooling]

Well, you know what, maybe they will end up being graphic novelists. My college roommate's thesis was a graphic novel (although not Pokemon). It is a valid and increasingly popular literary and art form, and it is possible that children who are familiar with it from a young age are gaining valuable knowledge and experience that those of us who are more comfortable with, say, Paddle-to-the-Sea, cannot impart.

 

Now, while I don't require reading, I am on a constant stealth mission to find new favorites, using our library's various databases and recommendations, as well as our friendly reference librarian...I've found, "Try to read the first chapter and see if you like this," is a lot more effective than requiring reading.

 

I don't have a problem with graphic novels. I just want them to have some variety. And gosh, Pokemon is just awful. But they love it. I like the sampling it for a chapter idea. Thanks! 

 

That's why I continued reading aloud to my dc. :-)

 

I don't believe in requiring children to read on their own. And when they read on their own, they get to read whatever they want. FTR, my mother wanted me to read something other than horse books, lol.

 

Horse books >>>> Pokemon. 

 

I haven't read all the responses, but when mine were first reading, they would read aloud to me, and I always picked the books. If they wanted to read off school time, they got to pick those books, which were largely ones we had here or occasionally we would pick some from the library. 

 

Once they were reading independently, they started at 20 minutes/5 days a week and worked up to 30 minutes/5 days a week. All of those books have technically been "assigned."  Sometimes I will give them a stack to pick from and ask them to read one of them, but I picked every book in the stack. 

 

As far as "free reading" outside of school hours, my kids will generally not pick novels. The only exception has been that my oldest loved Harry Potter and read the whole series multiple times and he has also read The Chronicles of Prydain multiple times.  Other than that, their  "library picks" are Captain Underpants and Calvin and Hobbes.  =)   Those are fine, but they read them in their free time.

 

I share the issue that others have mentioned with the library having a lot of graphic novels and books that are not necessarily great.  I usually have to request the books we read and they may or may not come in from another branch.  

 

I spent most of my pre-teen and teen years reading awful twaddle so I am probably oversensitive to the idea of my kids reading that stuff. 

 

Also, we still read aloud here. I usually pick the harder selections from the history based reading and read those aloud.  

 

Thanks for your thoughts! 

 

By the way, another avenue for acquiring books besides the library are Estate sales.  Yes, Estate Sales. 

 

There are often really well kept quality books available at these sales and the cost is negligible.  DD and I found out about two local companies that do Estate Sales and have websites.  We are on their list.  When a sale is coming up, we get an email with a link to the address and photographs of the items available.  Almost always everything is half off on the last day and during the last hour or so they just want to get rid of stuff.  If the Estate Sale seems to have things we need, we bring our laundry basket and if they have books we can fill the basket with books and whatever else might be needed (such as computer paper, notebooks, etc.) and can get the whole thing for very little.  I've gotten beautiful hardbacks in near new condition for pennies or sometimes even free.  DD gets so excited about finding books at these sales.  (So do I).  We then pass them on to others or donate them to the library when we no longer need them.

 

I've never tried an estate sale! We frequent library sales, but I will have to look into estate sales, too. Thanks!

 

Graphic novels are actually pretty cool. If they like them, there are lots of ones that you could offer them. We have ones of the Odyssey and Iliad, although they might be a too...graphic. ;) I found a lot of good suggestions from Farrar at I Capture the Rowhouse. Marcia Williams has the illustrated Shakespeare books that are really graphic novels. 

 

One thing I have done that has helped my kids to expand their reading horizons is to do required summer reading. I make a list of about 9-12 books and they have to read one a month from my list. They read a lot more than that but just the one per month from me. I try to make my list books that I think they will like but that they might not pick up on their own. 

 

I'll check those out. Love the idea of Shakespeare graphic novel, though I'm sure the graphic might be too graphic for 8 and 6 lol. I will read them for me, interspersed with my personal twaddle choices, haha. 

[Tanaqui]

At those ages, if I wanted them to be exposed to a particular novel, I'd read to them.

[Mommy to monkeys]

As my kids started to outgrown naptime, they had the option to read or sleep. So the time became known as "Quiet Book Time".  Still the same thing even with older kids. They can read or they can sleep.  I don't have much twaddle at home and try to keep it from coming home from the library. With that in mind, they can pretty much read anything during that time that they'd like.  Every month or so (or more often if I have a kids in a reading slump) I pass them a book and say, "Hey. Read this."  And they do.  Easy peasy.  I'm convinced that this time of an hour. every day. 365 days a year (or almost...) is why I have such great readers.  Even my youngest two who still have speech issues are fluent readers.  I'm also convinced that this time of an hour of silence every day is why I'm still sane. (mostly)

[Jackie]

My elementary kid does not have assigned reading. She is a very strong reader, and chooses to read frequently. Her bedtime is 8:00, but lights out isn’t until 10:00, and she can read whatever she chooses during that time. We have a family read aloud time every night from 7:30-8:00 and I choose the book list for that.

[Lori D.]

We didn't have assigned *independent* reading time. We had:

- assigned, together buddy reading

- family read-alouds (me reading aloud)

- free time -- they could read or not; if choosing to read, it was free choice of reading material

 

Because I had one DS with mild LDs in reading (stealth dyslexia), it was critical to constantly practice reading and me to see where he was/skipping by doing out loud reading, so it was just easier to make it assigned for each DS. And, we all enjoyed a lot of terrific books together that way! ;) For our assigned, together buddy-reading ("you read a page, I read a page), I picked works of high quality/high interest that were just at or a bit above their comfortable reading level, and were that were books I wanted to make sure we covered. The length of reading for that together buddy-reading looked something like this:

 

1st = 10 minutes

2nd = 10-15 minutes

3rd = 15-20 minutes

4th = 20 minutes

5th = 20-25 minutes

6th = 30 minutes

7th-12th grades, we did a lot of our formal Literature aloud together and discussed/analyzed as we read

 

 

If I were forced to include assigned independent reading into our homeschooling, I would:

- keep it short

- allow selection from a basket of high interest/high quality works that are at or a little *below* comfortable reading level

- work it like a summer library reading program, with stars or stickers to chart progress, and a prize at each pre-determined milestones

 

Suggested length of assigned solo reading:

1st = 5 minutes

2nd = 10 minutes

3rd = 15 minutes

4th = 20 minutes

5th = 25 minutes

6th = 30 minutes

 

Good luck, whatever you decide. :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited February 23, 2018 by Lori D.

[MerryAtHope]

I love the ratio idea! We haven't done the "reading time" more than once or twice because there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth and I didn't want it to be like that. Once I told them they could pick anything. The second time, I handed them books (I gave the 8yo A Cricket in Times Square, which we had already started and he liked when I was reading it out loud and I gave the 6yo a Beatrix Potter book we've read in the past and had him read it out loud to me). Despair. Anguish. So I decided to pick some smart, experienced brains before trying it again, haha! Glad I did! 

 

I would try easier picture books to get them in the habit, and then gradually have them do harder things. At their ages, there are a lot of fun, easy readers that can help them build up speed and confidence. Sometimes even if a student *can* read something harder, it's not "fun" or "relaxing" yet--it's still "work." You want something that's on the easy side rather than towards the upper edge of their abilities.

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

We keep a basket of books on DS’ level on on the living room table. Each evening he selects a book from the basket to read aloud for 20min. Once a book has been read to us, it goes to his bedroom bookshelf (provided it’s not a library book). Earlier this week he completed a “100 books†chart, which has earned him a trip to an indoor playground, & for his final book decided to tackle his first chapter book. Once he can read quickly & accurately enough that he would prefer to read to himself, we’ll keep the time set aside each day for silent reading. At that point maybe once a month or so he can choose to dictate a summary, write a review, or create a project inspired by a book he has completed.

[mommysanders]

My 7 year old was a great reader early on. When he started dropping his nap, I told him he still had to stay in his room. His only options were to sleep or read. I let him read whatever he wanted at that point (he was about 5 when he dropped his nap). Now he will usually pickup the exact same book series and read it over and over and over... and over! (It's the Tin Tin series) So I have started telling him he has to read a new book one day, then the next he can read whatever he wants. For the new book, I have a variety of things that I think would interest him. He chooses from that pile. A couple times I have had to strongly encourage him to give a book a try, after which he ended up loving it. He's just hesitant to try new things. His "nap time / quiet time" is between 60-90 minutes. I hope I can get DD5 to do the same!

[HomeAgain]

We have two separate independent reading times.

 

The first is required 2-3 times a week.  I have a book basket where I put books about our studies, literature, poetry, biographies...things that are interesting but stretch him a little out of his comfort zone.  It's half an hour at the end of our day right now, as a way to wind down.

 

The second is at bedtime, not required.  This is when he goes through his stack of library books and fun things, mostly graphic novels or short stories.  I don't care what he reads here, or even if he does.  He ends up reading about an hour before falling asleep, though.

 

 

[knitgrl]

Dd is a voracious reader, so I don't bother with making her read a certain amount of time, because she just reads. She has been reading Geronimo Stilton for close to 3 years now, and I am most grateful that she has gotten into the Redwall series, which is definitely meatier. We have a lot of graphic novels around here, because I confess, I have always loved comics. We do SOTW, so if there are folk tale picture books suggested, I will tell her she needs to read one a day. Or if there is an adaptation of some classic literature, like the Three Musketeers, I tell her to read a chapter a day, but usually she gets so involved she reads it much more quickly than that. I always thought SWB's idea was a good one - when you go to the library, they have a list of different genres they have to pick a book from each one. My notes tell me the list includes science, history, art or music appreciation, practical (craft, hobby or "how to"), biography, classic novel or adaptation, imaginative storybook, poetry. That way, they are exposed to different things and they get to choose them.

[Bonsai]

I give dd13 and ds6 fee choice. We visit three libraries a week. Each one allows them to take out five items. Sometimes I will make a suggestion, but they can take it or leave it. We also have a home library of favourites and reference books, they each get to pick a magazine subscription (National Geographic and Scooby Doo right now). They’re enjoying reading 15+ books a week - I don’t want to mess with that.

 

With ds6, most of his choices are read aloud. I do get tired of Ninjago, but I suck it up.