Reading With Your Kids

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  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    As long as you don't read romance novels with them.

    It's funny you say that...My 10 year old is begging me to let her read the Twilight books :huh:

    Suggest the Hunger Games - much better! My 10-year old didn't really understand it though and went back to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. :laugh:
  • TinaDay1114
    TinaDay1114 Posts: 1,328 Member
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    I've read to both kids since they were in utero. Always at naptime, and at bedtime, and anytime they wanted to in between. When I took away "book time" as a punishment a few times, you would have thought the world ended -- it was hard to see them cry, but at the same time I knew I had done my job as a mom, making them LOVE books and reading.

    I also made a promise to myself that if they ever wanted to buy a book, I would never say NO. I figure that's always a better investment than any toy.

    My 8 year old is a big Harry Potter fan already, and the giant coffee table book of the making of the "Harry Potter" movies that he got for Christmas is always open in his room -- he spent most of Christmas Day poring over it.

    My youngest has been reading the "Mercy Watson" series with me lately -- it's by Kate DiCamillo (she also wrote "The Tale of Despereaux").

    My kids already love books and reading time as much as I do. BLISS.

    And I agree w/many of you -- it DOES teach you (and them) to slow down a little, take life in. Aaaah.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
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    I've always got up early; hence, I've always gone too bed early. About 8pm. I always lie in bed for a half hour or so and read.

    When my youngest, Holland, was little, 2 years old or so, she would come to bed with me and lie there with a book, too. When I would turn the page of my book, she would turn the page of her book. She couldn't read, but she was very intent. As she got older, 2 1/2 or 3, she would always point out that she was further along in her book than I was in mine. She'd ask me what page I was on. I'd say: "112." She'd say, "Well, I'm on page 140." Always ahead of me.

    She is still an avid reader. Just like me and her mom.

    She's 18 now and in college. Doesn't have as much time for leisure reading as I do. Think she's reading "The Hunger Games" right now.
  • dwtouch4
    dwtouch4 Posts: 98
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    I love reading to my kids, and having them read to me as well. It was always a happy memory for me as a kid. It definitely instills a love of reading and learning in them.
  • SinIsIn
    SinIsIn Posts: 1,865 Member
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    My son who is 4 has an obsession with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book. LOL
    I've read it to him so many times that he has memorized it and can "read" it back to me. I love it.

    My daughter who is 11 loves to read and write. She has made several plot summaries of books or short stories she wants to write. She is over 100 pages into her first book. :bigsmile:
  • Suziq2you
    Suziq2you Posts: 396 Member
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    I started reading to my kids before they were born and never stopped. :smile:
  • Alexstrasza
    Alexstrasza Posts: 619 Member
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    My little ones are only 5 months and 21 months. I love reading to them though. My son (the 21 month old) looooooves when I read to him. I use all different funny voices and sometimes I get way into it and start acting out different parts, lol.
  • Alexstrasza
    Alexstrasza Posts: 619 Member
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    My son who is 4 has an obsession with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book. LOL
    I've read it to him so many times that he has memorized it and can "read" it back to me. I love it.

    My daughter who is 11 loves to read and write. She has made several plot summaries of books or short stories she wants to write. She is over 100 pages into her first book. :bigsmile:

    That's so awesome! I was like that when I was younger. I've got a folder somewhere with like 200+ poems I wrote over the years, lol.
  • SinIsIn
    SinIsIn Posts: 1,865 Member
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    My son who is 4 has an obsession with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book. LOL
    I've read it to him so many times that he has memorized it and can "read" it back to me. I love it.

    My daughter who is 11 loves to read and write. She has made several plot summaries of books or short stories she wants to write. She is over 100 pages into her first book. :bigsmile:

    That's so awesome! I was like that when I was younger. I've got a folder somewhere with like 200+ poems I wrote over the years, lol.

    That's awesome that you still have those! I bought her journels so that she can write in them and keep them instead of just writing them on loose paper. :)
  • WifeNMama
    WifeNMama Posts: 2,876 Member
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    My son who is 4 has an obsession with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book. LOL
    I've read it to him so many times that he has memorized it and can "read" it back to me. I love it.

    My daughter who is 11 loves to read and write. She has made several plot summaries of books or short stories she wants to write. She is over 100 pages into her first book. :bigsmile:

    Skit skat skoodle doot flip flop flee!
    Love it. :-)
  • Bonita_Lynne_58
    Bonita_Lynne_58 Posts: 2,845 Member
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    I don't have any kids, but I have a little brother who is 11 years younger than me.

    He's 8 and he loves when we read together. Not just me to him, but he likes reading to me too (even if I have to help him on some words sometimes).
    It's a really great practice for getting up there on his AR points :p

    His favorites are:
    ANY Grimm Fairytales, Buy my Hats, Stellaluna

    Typically, since he's a second grader, he brings home a new book every few days. It's sort of become a tradition for us to crack open the brand new book right after he finishes his homework as a "reward".

    You're a wonderful big sister! Your reply took me back in time. My brother is 8 years younger than me...I read to him from the time he was very young. My mom didn't read well at all. So she would sit with us while I read to him. She memorized the words to his favorite books by listening to me read. So I started to point to each word as I read to them both. She began to recognize more words by sight and started reading more herself...So I kind of taught my mom to read. Thank you for triggering these memories.
  • LauraMacNCheese
    LauraMacNCheese Posts: 7,198 Member
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    You're a wonderful big sister! Your reply took me back in time. My brother is 8 years younger than me...I read to him from the time he was very young. My mom didn't read well at all. So she would sit with us while I read to him. She memorized the words to his favorite books by listening to me read. So I started to point to each word as I read to them both. She began to recognize more words by sight and started reading more herself...So I kind of taught my mom to read. Thank you for triggering these memories.

    Awww...what a great story! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
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    My parents used to read to me every night when I was a kid. It was my special time with them and it is one of my favorite memories about my childhood. My favorite book was "An Extraordinary Egg" about a frog and an alligator that become friends - my mom used to give them different voices and everything! I like to think that they enjoyed reading to me as much as I enjoyed being read to.
  • SnakeDarling
    SnakeDarling Posts: 352 Member
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    You're a wonderful big sister! Your reply took me back in time. My brother is 8 years younger than me...I read to him from the time he was very young. My mom didn't read well at all. So she would sit with us while I read to him. She memorized the words to his favorite books by listening to me read. So I started to point to each word as I read to them both. She began to recognize more words by sight and started reading more herself...So I kind of taught my mom to read. Thank you for triggering these memories.

    Aww thank you!
    That is a great story! That's sort of crazy in a really cool way
  • the_journeyman
    the_journeyman Posts: 1,877 Member
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    It's a great thing to do. As a teacher, I can usually tell which kids have had reading time and which ones don't .

    JM
  • Bonita_Lynne_58
    Bonita_Lynne_58 Posts: 2,845 Member
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    You're a wonderful big sister! Your reply took me back in time. My brother is 8 years younger than me...I read to him from the time he was very young. My mom didn't read well at all. So she would sit with us while I read to him. She memorized the words to his favorite books by listening to me read. So I started to point to each word as I read to them both. She began to recognize more words by sight and started reading more herself...So I kind of taught my mom to read. Thank you for triggering these memories.

    Aww thank you!
    That is a great story! That's sort of crazy in a really cool way

    My parents are in their 70's and it seems like there were lots of children of that generation who didn't learn to read. I was never read to as a child..would have been nice. Fortunately for me reading came easy. I've always been an avid reader. And plan on continuing to read for pleasure for the rest of my life.
  • LauraMacNCheese
    LauraMacNCheese Posts: 7,198 Member
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    I'm worried about with my son...since he's hearing-impaired & we didn't find out until the summer before he started Kindergarten; he's behind in his speech development and reading skills. He gets frustrated so easily that I was really pleasantly surprised he took time to sound out the words he didn't know last night. I want him to enjoy reading and not view it as a chore, like his dad does. I'm hoping if we keep up with the reading together he'll get there.

    My daughter enjoys reading but has a hard time processing what she reads sometimes. And she has a hard time picking something that will hold her interest. Any book, short story, etc. ideas for a 10 year old girl in 4th grade?
  • Bonita_Lynne_58
    Bonita_Lynne_58 Posts: 2,845 Member
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    I'm worried about with my son...since he's hearing-impaired & we didn't find out until the summer before he started Kindergarten; he's behind in his speech development and reading skills. He gets frustrated so easily that I was really pleasantly surprised he took time to sound out the words he didn't know last night. I want him to enjoy reading and not view it as a chore, like his dad does. I'm hoping if we keep up with the reading together he'll get there.

    My daughter enjoys reading but has a hard time processing what she reads sometimes. And she has a hard time picking something that will hold her interest. Any book, short story, etc. ideas for a 10 year old girl in 4th grade?

    Mazie (my youngest) enjoyed the Junie B Jones books and in 5th grade read all of the Warrior Cats books. Once she got started on Warrior Cats she really took off. Loves to read now...She's 13 in the 8th grade and will even take a book with her when she goes to spend a night at a friends house.
  • clewis628
    clewis628 Posts: 94 Member
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    I read to my 3 year old every night and every other time she brings a book and plops herself down in my lap! It's my most favorite thing to do! I do the voices too and when other people try to read the story, she asks for the voices. It's cute! We go to the library every Friday and it's wonderful to see her pick up books and try to read the story to me. Some of her favorites: Click, Clack, Moo; Curious George (any of them); Hoodwink; the Lorax; and anything with Snow White in it.

    I love children's books - especially ones with beautiful illustrations like Blueberry Girl and Instructions both by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess.
  • Bonita_Lynne_58
    Bonita_Lynne_58 Posts: 2,845 Member
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    For those of you reading to children 4-6 yrs old...Check out a book called "I Love You Stinkyface" I can't remember the author. It was a favorite of my daughter and her Headstart class.

    I used to volunteer at her Headstart and one of my favorite things was story time when I got to read to the class.

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