Stay at Home 2020 Tip #3: Read Aloud

We used to go to the library every week when the kids were really young.  They had a wonderful story time there complete with "The Libary Song" with hand motions, fun stories read aloud by a librarian, and some more fun songs and possibly an activity.  We mothers loved story time because we could bundle up all of our babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers and drive them to the library for a few fun moments with the kind librarians and other shiny faced parents and children.

As our kids grew, we chose to home educate them, so we continued our tradition of going to the library on many Fridays to get out, see my mom and step-dad, who both worked there, and to find some new fascinating books to read the following week.  I had a large green canvas tote bag from Lands End that was super durable and held many, many books!  I would keep most of the books in that bag between visits, so I didn't lose a book or start racking up fines.

Over the years, our trips to the library have not been as frequent as the children got involved in more activities outside of our home and there are so many other ways to "read" on electronics now.  However, I still prefer to read "real" books with physical pages and so especially when we have a break from school, I usually go to the library to peruse the books and hope to find a new book to enjoy during my "down" time.  Reading aloud can be a fun, bonding experience for families of all ages.  Even teens can enjoy books read aloud or audio versions of books.  This does not have to be only for young children that can't read to themselves.  Our years of home education included reading aloud and the children and I enjoyed so many stories together.  This builds a culture and a worldview.  We have great memories of stories we read together.

During this strange time of COVID-19 shut-downs and stay-at-home orders, we may appear to have more time for reading, but we cannot even go to our local library!  However, there are many options to find great books of all kinds to enjoy.  For those of you who are suddenly at home with your family all day, what does reading aloud look like?  Well, it can look as unique as your family compared to mine.  One thing I have learned is that for many children (and adults) it works better for them to keep their hands busy while they listen and they will be able to pay attention to the story more easily, instead of being more distracted.  It will actually help them remember the story.  Here are some ways to read aloud:

• Read books together for a half hour in the morning at the breakfast table, while your children are eating or busy doing something like playing quietly with toys or drawing
• Read poetry aloud and have tea or snacks to go with it - Julie Bogart of Brave Writer calls this "Poetry Tea Time"
• Listen to audio books while doing everyday chores, like laundry, or while traveling in the car
• Choose a great fiction book to read a chapter of each evening after supper or before bed
• Read the Bible each day with your family, or another book of prayers or spiritual meaning for your own faith  as part of your daily routine

More tips for reading aloud:
Brave Writer Lifestyle - Reading Aloud
Homegrown Learners - Reading for Kids

Some of our very favorite audio books:
The Chronicles of Narnia set by Focus on the Family Radio Theater - we love this version with a full cast of character voices and sound effects and we have listened to it multiple times one long car trips
Jim Weiss recordings are fabulous!
Adventures in Odyssey recordings are another well done collection of fascinating stories by Focus on the Family
The Story of the World Series are also narrated by Jim Weiss and they provide hours of interesting and fun stories from history

Here are some great places to find book suggestions:
Read Aloud Revival book lists
Honey for a Child's Heart
Honey for a Teen's Heart
Brave Writer Arrow book list for ages 8-12
Brave Writer Boomerang book list for ages 13-16