Taking a break from school for the summer? Keep brains active and spend time as a family with family summer reading time.
Summer is often a time to kick back and relax. This is true even for many homeschoolers. Longer days and summer break often means more time to fill. Unsure what to do with those hot, luxurious hours? Indulge in family reading time!
Benefits of Reading out Loud
- Helps children become familiar with language patterns
- Introduces new vocabulary
- Helps develop interest in reading
- Helps children with learning differences to engage in a story more easily
- It makes reading fun
Advantages to Reading Out Loud
- Many picture books can be read to young children through elementary age. Simple books combined with great artwork make the experience fun.
- Some chapter books can be read to children not able to read them on their own yet. For example, a pre-reader may enjoy hearing Junie B Jones, or even The Hobbit.
- Different people in the family can share ideas and opinions, providing growth and development for each person
Tips for Reading Out Loud
- Always give the title of the book, author and illustrator before beginning. Be sure to say "The author is..." and "Illustrated by...'. You can explain to young children that "illustrated" means the pictures were drawn or created by that person, but also use the word "illustrated" to teach the concept.
- Choose a variety of book genres. Read historical fiction, science fiction, classics, biographies, fairy tales, and so on.
- Be aware of the attention span of the children, especially if there is a wide range.
- Read in manageable chunks. Some chapters are long and may need two readings to get through. That is perfectly fine.
- Not every book engages every family. Find one that works!
- Use an interesting voice when reading out loud. Make it fun. Play with the characters!
- Stop at times and talk. Ask questions like "What do you think will happen next?", "Why did the character do that?", "How to you think (name of the character) feels about what happened?"
- Read "Read-Aloud Do's and Don'ts" from Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook (Penguin Books, 2001)
What To Read
There are so many good books to chose from, so this list is by no means exhaustive! What follows are suggestions of books that make for fun read-loud time. As always, only parents have the ultimate say-so in deciding if a book is appropriate for their child or family.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
- Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi
- Junie B. Jones, by Barbara Park (any and all of these books are fun)
- The Red Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang (or any of the others in this series - may be too much for very young readers)
- The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien
- The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
- My Father's Dragon,(both the book and the trilogy), by Ruth Stiles Gannett
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge,by Judy Blume (that Fudge always gets a laugh!)
- Little House on the Prarie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The Story of Dr. Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting (lots of fun voices to do)
- Freddy Goes to Florida, by Walter R. Brooks (a book featuring animals as the main characters means the opportunity for lots of different character voices!)
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, by Betty MacDonald ( a book where a nice grandmotherly/nanny-type woman uses clever means to cure kids of bad habits. A parent's dream!)
- The Wind Boy, by Ethel Cook Eliot
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
- Mr. Popper's Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater
There are many great books out there that make for a good read-aloud. Find one, and have fun!
The copyright of the article Read-Aloud Time in Homeschooling is owned by Christine Alcott. Permission to republish Read-Aloud Time must be granted by the author in writing.
