Reading at Home Doesn’t Have to be a Nightmare

You open your child’s backpack, and inside, they have reading homework…dun, dun, dun! You just had a parent/teacher conference, and your child’s teacher said they should be reading more at home. You get it, but how can you help them read without stopping your mile-long list of trying to get dinner on the table, the little one bathed, and stopping the other two from arguing?

Snuggling up with your little one and a good book would be so much fun, but it just can’t happen tonight. Snuggling up and reading is always the best way to read, but hey, I get it. I am a mom and a teacher, but a little truth is, I don’t always read to my kids snuggled up every night, but we still get it done.

Okay, let’s stop, collaborate, and BREATHE. Here are a few tips to get your dreaded nightmare to become a dream.

1. Before even opening the book, have your child tell you what this book makes you think about. (Teacher secret – they start reading when they pick up the book.)

   
   

2. Have them sit at the counter or dinner table and read out loud to you while you’re making dinner. When you hear a coherent sentence or can catch on to a bit of the story, ask them:

   1. Why do you think the character did that?

   2. Why do you think the author chose that setting?

   3. What are you seeing in your head as you read that page? Can you connect it to … a memory, experience, etc.?
      

3. If you can spare a few minutes, you read a page, and then your child reads one back. (totally a negotiating tool – you read one, I’ll read one)

   
   

4. If you have a book you want to read (yes, get some time for yourself in there), set up a family reading time.

   
   

Reading out loud never goes out of style, regardless of the age of your kids. Even I still like to be read aloud to, and I’m…well, not going to share my age, but definitely more mature. 😊 Reading at home is much easier when you have great books to read! 

Original post by Sacia on 3/15/21