Minimal Prep Time Tip 1 - The Magic of the Read Aloud
Our first five nuggets focused on how to give you homeschool moms and dads some free time, and now we want to look at the next level of homeschooling - no prep, teacher-heavy work...a.k.a. How to feel like an awesome teacher with almost no preparation.
This is the magic of the read-aloud.
With little kids you are used to reading aloud Frog and Toad, Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit Series, Piggie and Elephant Books, Why We Poop (such a fun flap book), Maisy books, and the list goes on. But then once our kids learn how to read well, many of us parents end up giving up that cuddly past-time in favor of our kids reading on their own. But there is magic in the read-aloud. So, don’t give it up! Grow it, increase the time you spend doing it as your children get older.
Team Up
My husband and I team up. He is currently reading aloud the Harry Potter series, and is on book 6. He had so much fun introducing a world of magic, mayhem, and mystery - and our kids love it! I just finished Dr. DoLittle, the kids' abridged version, which is full of adventure, animals, and new experiences in Africa. Sometimes, in the car, or when we are in a busy time, we utilize audio books through CD’s we’ve bought, Audible, or for free through our public library. Even though our kids are reading on their own, reading aloud introduces them to so many more mature words, ideas, and concepts that you can walk them through yourself and help increase their wisdom and reading level at the same time. The benefit of teaming up is that when the spouse or audio reads, you have your free time to listen, clean, and/or get work done while your kids are being nurtured with rich words.
Why Read-Aloud
Because we are actually reading it ourselves, we can stop at any time, explain words, ideas, philosophies, discuss what fits or doesn’t fit with our belief system, teach about various perspectives, and skip, gloss over, or morally character build the more mature parts. Conversations about important topics should be happening throughout our child’s day. There’s no need to sit a child down to inform them of most things - you can be weaving wisdom, character, religion, and more all throughout your day through read-alouds and other organic activities and experiences. And with homeschooling, you get to be the one to do it! If you are interested in learning more about the “why” and get a well of ideas, try listening to the “Read-Aloud Revival” podcast by Sarah Mackenzie, or read her book. Her website, book, podcast are a great wealth of information. It really taught me that even teenagers benefit greatly from read-alouds.
How to Do it
We watch family read-alouds in those old Jane Austin type films set back in the pre-Victorian era as a kind of past-time. Everyone gathers around and listens poised and alert. But this is no Jane Austin novel. This is homeschooling - and you can do whatever you want for read alouds...and your kids should too, with some parameters.
1. Choose a book
This is the most fun choice. There are so many places to jump off here. You can choose a series like Harry Potter, the C.S. Lewis Narnia Series, Lemony Snicket series, Little House on the Prairie (an excellent Audible), The Tales of Peter Rabbit (22 books!), The Lord of the Rings, the list could go on. We love doing a series because our kids love them too. They love them because they connect with the characters, there’s sometimes a movie or a show they can watch after it is read - which is a great motivation for finishing a book or series. We also choose books that are non-fiction. I love the Who is… series. Whether it’s about Jane Goodall, Walt Disney, or the Grand Canyon (Where is…), these books are about telling the true stories about people and places with all the details and stories that children connect to. It shares the true stories that typically are not discussed in adult-level biographies on the same subject. They are also great jumping off points for unit studies since there are so many subjects and ideas packed into them. Really, pick what book you want to read too. Whether it’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (he has a great series of books too), or other childhood favorites - this is family time your kids will remember.
To determine if your choice book or series is the right maturity level for your children, you can always search the Common Sense Media website for ratings of ages for categories such as violence, role models, etc.
2. Choose a location.
It can be different everyday. We read to them at the beach while they dig, in the jacuzzi, on the backyard swing, while they play in a pond, while we are in line at Disneyland (Who is Walt Disney is a great one for that), at a park, in the car in the grocery store parking lot while you wait for the spouse to run in, in our bed all snuggled together, while they eat breakfast, during “School Time with Mommy” during the day, before bedtime (they will listen perfectly if it means they get to stay up later!)...we do it all. Carry your book with you in your backpack or purse, and it’s always a great go-to.
3. Choose an activity.
Many of the activities are figured out on their own, depending on your location. But you can say, “Time for our read-aloud...where should we do it?” and let them choose. Even the backyard table with a picnic can feel like an adventure, or while they ride their bikes as long as they can hear you. But, sometimes I really need them to get table activities done while I read to them. So, depending on the theme of the book, I set up 3-4 stations (1 for each kid plus an extra one sometimes in case of timing) for my kids to cycle through while I read. They switch when I say to - either at a new chapter, or when one kid has been done with their station for a little while. The stations usually have an art component and a kinetic moment like with sand, playdough, craft kit or handicraft. Some stations are willy nilly, and some are structured with a distinct goal or requirement. But all of them usually have something to do with the theme of what I am reading. That is really the only prepwork you have to do.
For example, for when I would read Usborne’s King Arthur (which was quite a thick book), my kids had the Usborne activity books for knights, ladies, and castles - one had mazes and stickers to create specific medieval scenes, and one was a seek & find. My third station was water color something from the book. They are fun, items that they don’t normally have access to, and can be worked on completely independently (so that I can read). You do need to show them their parameters like - “At this station you get to do 2 pages. If you want to move on, make sure your 2 pages are completely finished.” I learned that from my kids getting mad that their sibling would start a bunch of pages, and so when it was their turn, they did not have a page that was completely theirs. You will learn your kids parameters as you go through trial and error.
Just remember, your biggest prep with the stations is to show them (or teach them if needed) what they will be doing at each station prior to reading. You don’t want to be interrupted constantly.
Ideas:
Kinetic Sand
Play Dough
Activity books matching your book’s theme that don’t require reading (mazes, dot-to-dot)
Sticker books
Weaving Loom (that they already know how to do)
Knitting
Art (you can utilize your Art Studio as one of the stations)
Coloring pages matching your book
Craft Kit (for Peter Rabbit books, I had those foam sticker kits for flower making)
Legos (you can ask them to make something about the book)
Scratch Magic Pad (for Jane Goodall, I had the Safari Scratch Magic Pad)
Puzzle
Sticker Mosaic book (they have all sorts of themes)
Magnets activities (great for sciency books)
The read-aloud stations are key for keeping your kids listening and active. And remember, the stations should be activities that are new or special to them.
4. Now Read.
Read with strength. Read with energy. Use different voices. Make the story come alive. If you don’t have the time or energy to provide a positive reading experience, make good use of the audio book options. It’s nice to have a balance of both you and audio books reading to them. That way they get to hear other voices and the hard words pronounced correctly (and sometimes with a British accent!). If you notice your kids haven’t learned to listen for more than 5-10 minutes, then only read for 5-10 minutes. My kids can now listen up to 2-3 hours at a time, as long as they are involved in their stations, activities, and playthings. And of course, the book selection matters with whether or not they want to listen. If you are halfway through a book and it is pure drudgery, feel free to let it go. You don’t need to finish it. It’s easier to read with charisma books you are both excited about.
Your kids won’t always jump at the suggestion to read aloud...but they still might really enjoy it. Don’t let their grumbling stop you - show them that this can be a wonderful activity for them. Train them to use their ears and listen. Show them YouTubes about the content so they can connect with it. (Reading about Jane Goodall? Show them a Youtube about Mosquitos.) Enjoy finishing a book with a party, the movie or show, or even a themed outing that matches the book’s setting. When we finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we hosted a big party with candy, experiments, and even a photo booth. Possibilities are endless in how you promote reveling in beautiful words and new experiences.
Read-alouds are amazing educators. It gives your children new perspectives, they travel the world, they see places they’ve never been, meet people they wouldn’t ordinarily meet, learn new vocabulary, and drink in new ideas, words, philosophies. And you get to be there for all of it. Even if you give up homeschooling, you should keep this as part of a family necessity...for all ages of your family.