Welcome to Part II (out of II) of my listings for suggested books for “devotional” type of read alouds for little ones. We are specifically looking at the upper end of ages three to six today (yesterday we looked at the lower end of that age group). Some of the ones listed below, however, I still use with my eleven year old (and, in the case of Character Sketches, I still use with my seventeen and fifteen year olds!!!).
If you are not currently doing any type of devotional reading with your little ones, just pick a book or two from today or yesterday’s list—and do it! You can get these at the library, from the links below, or from your local Christian bookstore. At this age, you only need five to ten minutes a day to start instilling faith-building, potentially-life-long habits in your children—and help them start learning God’s Word and God’s ways early.
1. Story Bibles and story Bible sets
a. “The Picture Bible” by David C Cook—after the “Me Too” Bible stories, “The Early Reader’s Bible,” “The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes,” and “My Bible Friends,” we used this wonderful, comic-book-style Bible. Ray read this whole Bible aloud to each child when he or she was around age four. (Actually, Ray found this in a Christian bookstore thirty years ago just after we were born again as young adults. He got it and read it through himself as he said it helped him know “Bible talk” better when he knew very little about the Bible and many Bible stories. So we’ve had copies of this Bible for thirty years in our home!) http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Bible-Story-Book-Ed/dp/1555139906
b. Family Bible Library—I reviewed this book earlier in the year. This is a wonderful complete ten volume set of Bible stories. Read the review in full at the link below. If you have children eight and under, I highly recommend you find this set used, buy it, and use it every day. (That’s what we did! I read it to te kids when they turned four (sort of after Ray did “The Picture Bible”), then when each child became a fluent reader, between nine and eleven or so, he or she read the entire set to himself (or aloud to a little sibling). http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/02/day-fifty-nine-think-of-yourself-as.html
2. “Catechism” Type of Books—I love using the books listed below with my young children as they answer those questions that kids those ages often ask, “How can there be three in one?” “Where is heaven?” “Why did Jesus die?” “What is sin?” etc. You are never too young to start learning basic Bible doctrine!
a.”Big Truths for Little Kids: Teaching Your Kids to Live for God” by Susan Hunt: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581341067/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0802840353&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=14KZJYBNXBQPPMWNYZ5Q
b. “My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God’s Word in Little Hearts” by Susan Hunt and Evette Banek-- http://www.amazon.com/My-ABC-Bible-Verses-Hiding/dp/1581340052/ref=pd_sim_b_4#reader_1581340052
c. “Leading Little Ones to God” by Margaret Schoolland—help your little one think rightly about God from the beginning—“catechism for preschoolers”: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802851207/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0802840353&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=14KZJYBNXBQPPMWNYZ5Q
3. Picture books by Christian authors have character, Bible, and faith messages—I love using picture books to teach many things to my children—faith and Bible, counting, alphabet, science, history/geography, relationships, character, and more. I will list a few picture books below, but most Christian bookstores have at least a small selection of picture books that teach faith, character, biblical principles, etc. Stories, of course, are outstanding teaching vehicles, as evidenced by the fact that Jesus taught so much using stories.
a. “A Hat for Ivan” by Max Lucado: http://www.christianbook.com/a-hat-for-ivan-board-book/max-lucado/9781581346565/pd/46565/1071101320?item_code=WW&netp_id=348434&event=ESRCN&view=details#curr
b. “Tale of Three Trees” by Angela Hunt http://www.christianbook.com/the-tale-of-three-trees/angela-hunt/9780745917436/pd/19014/1069491512?item_code=WW&netp_id=155456&event=ESRCN&view=details
c. “In Case You Ever Wonder”: http://www.christianbook.com/just-case-ever-wonder-board-book/max-lucado/9780849975097/pd/75093?item_code=WW&netp_id=196760&event=ESRCN&view=details#curr
d. See other Max Lucado picture books: http://www.christianbook.com/a-hat-for-ivan-board-book/max-lucado/9781581346565/pd/46565/1071101320?item_code=WW&netp_id=348434&event=ESRCN&view=details#curr
e. "My Heart, Christ’s Home Retold for Children" by Robert Boyd Munger—one of my personal favorites!!! http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3395
4. Creation science materials—If I had $500 to spend on everything I could use to train my preschoolers in faith, I would purchase the “Family Bible Library” and many, many picture books from Answers in Genesis. Children are inundated from earliest ages with the falsehoods of “millions of years,” etc.---we must counteract that information found in movies (even some of our favorite animated ones have references to it!), music, cartoons, museums, zoos, etc. with the truth. Picture books from Answers in Genesis can help you do that: http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/catalog/57-Years-Old,184.aspx
(Btw, if I had a little over $1,000, I would do the above, then get NEST dvd’s and Your Story Hour audios. )
We’ll move on to seven to ten year olds’ resources tomorrow! Happy shopping…and reading. Just do it!!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
day 134: “devotionals”--morning (or anytime!) read aloud books for three to six year olds—part i of ii
Children ages two or three to six do not need long read alouds, but you will want to start early in reading aloud to your children to build a love and attention span for it.
The books and materials I am going to list today and tomorrow are those that are especially appropriate for a devotional type of situation (“morning reading” at the Reishes). You will need to experiment with your children and the various “levels” of books. Some children as early as three years old can sit for lengthy picture books while others will only want a “quick” type of read aloud time.
The books are sort of listed by age range—youngest to oldest. Thus, the first ones listed are even appropriate for two to four year olds. I am making a few notations for the items, as well as listing authors and links.
Additionally, I am grouping them according to Bible story books, sets, picture books, prayer books, etc. Most of them are available at your library—though I admit that I own all of them (after twenty-seven years of parenting!) and recommend that you invest in a few favorites so that you can use those over and over. (Yes, I drive a $450 van, but have a library worth thousands of dollars—vehicles aren’t that important to me, but books (especially faith-teaching ones) are!)
Being the owner of a small press publishing company/small vendor of materials ourselves, I like to purchase books from small companies (especially family-owned ones) whenever possible. However, they (and we!) cannot provide all of the bells and whistles that large ones, such as Amazon, can provide. The links given for many of the materials are links to larger providers because these companies can provide the “look inside” feature, which I find especially helpful in purchasing picture books since you can actually look at a few pages and check out the text size, pictures, amount of text on each page, etc. However, if you know of a small vendor who carries these books, I encourage you to purchase from them!
Also, most of these products are available from your library. Even if you are holding these (or checking these out) from your library, you can go to one of the seller’s sites and check out the guts to see if it is appropriate for your child’s level before holding it from your library.
1. Very young Bible story books and Bibles:
a. The felt books and felt playsets continue to be good for this age group; my earlier review of this: http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/01/day-thirty-one-start-young-with-bible.html
b. “Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes” (my earlier review of this is here): http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/01/day-thirty-two-start-young-with-bible.html
c. One of my favorites for two to three year olds—a set of five hardcover, fully illustrated: “My Bible Friends”: http://www.thebiblestory.com/mbf/index.php
d. One of the few early Bibles that are appropriate for reading aloud to your toddlers and having your new reader use as a reader to practice his decoding skills: “Beginner’s Bible”: http://www.beginnersbible.com/
e. Very young Bible story books—one story per book; hardcover: The “Me Too” books-- http://www.clcbookshops.com/marilyn-lashbrook_a573.html
2. Prayers, Hymns, and Rhymes:
a. “Prayers for the Very Young Child” by Donald S. Robert (out of print, but some used ones here) http://www.abebooks.com/search/isbn/0570040515
b. “My First Hymnal”—I did this one every day for years and years with my toddlers and young preschoolers: http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0917143353/mockerybird/ref=nosim
c. “Bible Time Nursery Rhyme”---my review is here: http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/01/day-thirty-one-start-young-with-bible.html
3. Character Building Books and Stories:
a. “Child’s Book of Character Building: Growing Up in God’s World”—one of the first character teaching tools we had, and we used these for years. (Now our daughter Cami, twenty years later, uses these same books (our copies!) for her disability ministry to adults with cognitive disabilities)-- by Ron and Rebekah Coriell- http://www.amazon.com/Childs-Book-Character-Building-Growing/dp/0800754948/ref=pd_sim_b_2#reader_0800754948
c. “God’s Wisdom for Little Girls” by Jim and Elizabeth George: http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Wisdom-Little-Girls-Proverbs/dp/0736904271/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
d. “Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories” by Arthur Maxwell—okay, I have used these for twenty-seven years—and just read aloud from them with Jakie (age eleven) last week! ‘nough said! http://www.uncle-arthurs.com/
4. Creation books—many of the creation picture books are more appropriate for ages six through ten or so; however, many vendors have the “look inside” option as described above.
a. “Daddy Is There Really a God?” by John Morris http://www.christianbook.com/daddy-is-there-really-a-god/john-morris/9780890511886/pd/11888
b. “Noah’s Ark, Noah’s Flood” by John Morris http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/product/Noahs-Ark-Noahs-Flood,4378,184.aspx
More preschool “devotional” items tomorrow—including “older” Bible stories, creation products, and “catechism” type items!
b. “God’s Wisdom for Little Boys” by Jim and Elizabeth George: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0736908242/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0802840353&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=14KZJYBNXBQPPMWNYZ5Q
Thursday, May 13, 2010
day 133: morning reading books or the reish family (with links)
Morning reading—for us, this is like our “school devotional extended.” We have this morning reading time after morning routines and morning chores—three or four days a week (“more often than not”). Because it is devotional and school, I like to do a variety of things:
1. Character reading—this usually involves Bible too (see below for Character Sketches)
2. Chapter books—we are going through a series of American history biographies—we have done biographies in morning reading for twenty-five years!!!
3. Creation science—we always read from Answers in Genesis and other materials together
4. Bible or Bible stories (depending on ages, etc.)
5. Poetry—we added this two years ago, and I love it!
6. Nature devotional—been doing these for years and years
7. Literature excerpts—I assign whole books to the boys (one chapter book per week unless they are lengthy, in which case, they may read the same book over a two week period), but I like doing excerpts and shortened ones with them aloud
8. Character stories—we have done a variety of these—right now we are doing one my one of my favorite Christmas story authors (Wheeler, see below)
Below are the current titles we are using, along with their authors and links. The books listed are ones I do now with my boys, ages 11, 15, and 17. I am capitalizing the titles because I cannot get the FB blog to underline or italicize consistently—not trying to “yell” at you!
1. Character studies—reading about godly character of Bible people and how character qualities are shown in the lives of animals—CHARACTER SKETCHES, Volume III—published by Institute in Basic Life Principles (one semester book) http://tfths.com/character.php
2. Short literature excerpts, an outstanding way to introduce classic literature to kids ages eight to fourteen (or even older—Jonathan and I love them!)—CLASSICS TO READ ALOUD TO YOUR CHILDREN—compiled by William F. Russell (one semester book) http://www.amazon.com/Classics-Read-Aloud-Your-Children/dp/0517587157
3. Nature devotional—IN HIS HANDS—A NATURE DEVOTIONAL-—by James and Priscilla Tucker (year long book)—out of print—if your kids like animals, nature, and trivia, I recommend you try to get this book used!
4. Bible “story” book for older students and adults (followed by listening to the portion covered in here on audio cd from the regular Bible)—THE STORY OF STORIES—THE BIBLE IN NARRATIVE FORM –by Karen C. Hinckley (one semester book) http://www.amazon.com/Story-Stories-Astounding-Adventures-Revelation/dp/0891096701/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273634406&sr=1-1
5. Creation science book—ASTONOMY AND THE BIBLE: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS by Donald B DeYoung (one semester book) (sample chapters at http://www.answersingenesis.org/Docs/399.asp ) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080106225X/ref=cm_rdp_product
6. Biography—MERIWETHER LEWIS: EXPLORER by Janet and Geoff Benge (one month book) (contains links to other books in the Heroes of History series) http://www.christianbook.com/heroes-history-meriwether-lewis-edge-map/janet-benge/9781883002800/pd/00281X
7. Christian poetry (for older children and adults)---THE ONE YEAR BOOK OF POETRY—published by Tyndale (one year book) http://www.tyndale.com/X_Products/details.php?isbn=978-0-8423-3712-0
8. Short Christian and character stories for all ages (older children and adults primarily)—GREAT STORIES REMEMBERED by Joe Wheeler (might be out of print, but still has sellers on amazon) http://www.amazon.com/Great-Stories-Remembered/dp/1561794597
Tomorrow, I will post some suggestions for “morning reading” or "devotional reading" for four to ten year olds.
1. Character reading—this usually involves Bible too (see below for Character Sketches)
2. Chapter books—we are going through a series of American history biographies—we have done biographies in morning reading for twenty-five years!!!
3. Creation science—we always read from Answers in Genesis and other materials together
4. Bible or Bible stories (depending on ages, etc.)
5. Poetry—we added this two years ago, and I love it!
6. Nature devotional—been doing these for years and years
7. Literature excerpts—I assign whole books to the boys (one chapter book per week unless they are lengthy, in which case, they may read the same book over a two week period), but I like doing excerpts and shortened ones with them aloud
8. Character stories—we have done a variety of these—right now we are doing one my one of my favorite Christmas story authors (Wheeler, see below)
Below are the current titles we are using, along with their authors and links. The books listed are ones I do now with my boys, ages 11, 15, and 17. I am capitalizing the titles because I cannot get the FB blog to underline or italicize consistently—not trying to “yell” at you!
1. Character studies—reading about godly character of Bible people and how character qualities are shown in the lives of animals—CHARACTER SKETCHES, Volume III—published by Institute in Basic Life Principles (one semester book) http://tfths.com/character.php
2. Short literature excerpts, an outstanding way to introduce classic literature to kids ages eight to fourteen (or even older—Jonathan and I love them!)—CLASSICS TO READ ALOUD TO YOUR CHILDREN—compiled by William F. Russell (one semester book) http://www.amazon.com/Classics-Read-Aloud-Your-Children/dp/0517587157
3. Nature devotional—IN HIS HANDS—A NATURE DEVOTIONAL-—by James and Priscilla Tucker (year long book)—out of print—if your kids like animals, nature, and trivia, I recommend you try to get this book used!
4. Bible “story” book for older students and adults (followed by listening to the portion covered in here on audio cd from the regular Bible)—THE STORY OF STORIES—THE BIBLE IN NARRATIVE FORM –by Karen C. Hinckley (one semester book) http://www.amazon.com/Story-Stories-Astounding-Adventures-Revelation/dp/0891096701/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273634406&sr=1-1
5. Creation science book—ASTONOMY AND THE BIBLE: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS by Donald B DeYoung (one semester book) (sample chapters at http://www.answersingenesis.org/Docs/399.asp ) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080106225X/ref=cm_rdp_product
6. Biography—MERIWETHER LEWIS: EXPLORER by Janet and Geoff Benge (one month book) (contains links to other books in the Heroes of History series) http://www.christianbook.com/heroes-history-meriwether-lewis-edge-map/janet-benge/9781883002800/pd/00281X
7. Christian poetry (for older children and adults)---THE ONE YEAR BOOK OF POETRY—published by Tyndale (one year book) http://www.tyndale.com/X_Products/details.php?isbn=978-0-8423-3712-0
8. Short Christian and character stories for all ages (older children and adults primarily)—GREAT STORIES REMEMBERED by Joe Wheeler (might be out of print, but still has sellers on amazon) http://www.amazon.com/Great-Stories-Remembered/dp/1561794597
Tomorrow, I will post some suggestions for “morning reading” or "devotional reading" for four to ten year olds.
day 132: read aloud tips--part ii of ii
"Right after lunch Josiah, Kara, and I picked out our stories for story time. We snuggled on the couch with Mommy and read them. I was so happy ‘coz it was my day, and I got to pick two stories today. I picked Curious George and a book about astronauts. Story time is my favorite time of the day.”
“Jonathan’s Journal”
Read Aloud Tips (continued)
6. Consider having an ongoing chapter book as part of your story time. At the end of story time, I almost always read a chapter or two out of a chapter book. By that time, the youngest listeners were often drifting off to sleep, so if they were not interested in the chapter book, they just started their naps. However, the older preschooler and elementary child was still alert and awake. (We call this the “bus stop approach” to teaching little kids—stay with us and we’ll introduce that concept more fully in the future.) If your little is “almost ready” for chapter books, but not quite, you can start the process by choosing some longer picture books (i.e. instead of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” or “Curious George,” read “Kidderminster Tales” or picture books of “Black Beauty” or James Herriot stories for children (reviews forthcoming). Then after he is used to listening to longer picture books, choose short chapter books at first, such as “Three Cousins Detective,” “Boxcar Children,” or “American Girl Books.” These often have forty to eighty pages, so they are good introductions to chapter books for preschoolers. (Some of these shorter chapter books also have an occasional picture; this might help bridge the gap from picture books to chapter books.)
7. Use book and cd sets from the library to substitute for you when needed. My older kids used book and tape sets (Joshua’s favorites when he was three to six were these old “Stories That Live” Bible story books with accompanying cassettes.) However, Josiah and Jacob (our last two children) have used picture book and cd sets more than any of the others. With several children and the older kids’ needs and activities, story time has taken a drastic change in our home. I no longer stay home all the time; I no longer have one to two hours every afternoon to read; and, unfortunately, I no longer get to take naps! To offset my reduced story time, I have utilized book and cd sets for the younger children. Since we homeschool and our children have daily independent lists, the boys had “listen to book and cd set” on their list most days when they were younger (and Jakie still often does, though he is quickly outgrowing them). These sets are available in zip style bags at libraries and are really a great help for busy moms—if your children get in the habit of doing them. Like every other “quiet” or “less high-tech” activity, listening to book and cd sets, talking books, radio dramas, etc. is a learned art. It will probably not come naturally to children today. But, just like brushing his teeth and making his bed, it can become part of his daily routine if it is insisted upon by Mom and followed through on. (Book and cd sets and/or audio books are especially good for kids who are outgrowing naps to do while youngers sleep.)
8. Make story time a privilege. As with the toddler joining your story time, this special event should be a privilege for every child—and privileges are earned and are much different than rights (which should be greatly reduced in the lives of children—yes, our children have rights to safety, nourishment, love, etc. but the sense of entitlement that we give our children for everything causes a very me-focused approach to life that is inconsistent with genuine Christianity, which is the opposite of this “myopic” way of life). Our kids knew the rules for story time, and I seldom had problems with bad behavior during it. Why? Simply because they wanted Mom to read to them! The repercussion for not sitting still, not being kind to those around you, being loud, complaining, etc. during story time was no story time that day, period. As my husband has always reminded me: “Our children will behave just the way we want them to” (i.e. the way we allow them to)—annoying saying huh? But true.
9. Try to have a consistent story time. If you can have a set time, like right after lunch every afternoon you are home or right before bed three evenings a week, etc., it will make it more routine and will cause the children to look forward to it. Consistent story time (or consistent anything) causes children to have order and peace—and provides a small framework of accountability for Mom too.
10. Use story time for Bible and/or character training. In addition to an ongoing chapter book, I always had a Bible story book and/or a character book that we read through a little each story time. This gave me another opportunity to teach Bible stories and character lessons. (Reviews will follow for some suggestions for these over the next few days.)
Reviews, suggestions, and links coming up! Thanks for joining us.
*For the complete story of “Jonathan’s Journal, follow this link: http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-seventy-eight-introducing-jonathans.ht
“Jonathan’s Journal”
Read Aloud Tips (continued)
6. Consider having an ongoing chapter book as part of your story time. At the end of story time, I almost always read a chapter or two out of a chapter book. By that time, the youngest listeners were often drifting off to sleep, so if they were not interested in the chapter book, they just started their naps. However, the older preschooler and elementary child was still alert and awake. (We call this the “bus stop approach” to teaching little kids—stay with us and we’ll introduce that concept more fully in the future.) If your little is “almost ready” for chapter books, but not quite, you can start the process by choosing some longer picture books (i.e. instead of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” or “Curious George,” read “Kidderminster Tales” or picture books of “Black Beauty” or James Herriot stories for children (reviews forthcoming). Then after he is used to listening to longer picture books, choose short chapter books at first, such as “Three Cousins Detective,” “Boxcar Children,” or “American Girl Books.” These often have forty to eighty pages, so they are good introductions to chapter books for preschoolers. (Some of these shorter chapter books also have an occasional picture; this might help bridge the gap from picture books to chapter books.)
7. Use book and cd sets from the library to substitute for you when needed. My older kids used book and tape sets (Joshua’s favorites when he was three to six were these old “Stories That Live” Bible story books with accompanying cassettes.) However, Josiah and Jacob (our last two children) have used picture book and cd sets more than any of the others. With several children and the older kids’ needs and activities, story time has taken a drastic change in our home. I no longer stay home all the time; I no longer have one to two hours every afternoon to read; and, unfortunately, I no longer get to take naps! To offset my reduced story time, I have utilized book and cd sets for the younger children. Since we homeschool and our children have daily independent lists, the boys had “listen to book and cd set” on their list most days when they were younger (and Jakie still often does, though he is quickly outgrowing them). These sets are available in zip style bags at libraries and are really a great help for busy moms—if your children get in the habit of doing them. Like every other “quiet” or “less high-tech” activity, listening to book and cd sets, talking books, radio dramas, etc. is a learned art. It will probably not come naturally to children today. But, just like brushing his teeth and making his bed, it can become part of his daily routine if it is insisted upon by Mom and followed through on. (Book and cd sets and/or audio books are especially good for kids who are outgrowing naps to do while youngers sleep.)
8. Make story time a privilege. As with the toddler joining your story time, this special event should be a privilege for every child—and privileges are earned and are much different than rights (which should be greatly reduced in the lives of children—yes, our children have rights to safety, nourishment, love, etc. but the sense of entitlement that we give our children for everything causes a very me-focused approach to life that is inconsistent with genuine Christianity, which is the opposite of this “myopic” way of life). Our kids knew the rules for story time, and I seldom had problems with bad behavior during it. Why? Simply because they wanted Mom to read to them! The repercussion for not sitting still, not being kind to those around you, being loud, complaining, etc. during story time was no story time that day, period. As my husband has always reminded me: “Our children will behave just the way we want them to” (i.e. the way we allow them to)—annoying saying huh? But true.
9. Try to have a consistent story time. If you can have a set time, like right after lunch every afternoon you are home or right before bed three evenings a week, etc., it will make it more routine and will cause the children to look forward to it. Consistent story time (or consistent anything) causes children to have order and peace—and provides a small framework of accountability for Mom too.
10. Use story time for Bible and/or character training. In addition to an ongoing chapter book, I always had a Bible story book and/or a character book that we read through a little each story time. This gave me another opportunity to teach Bible stories and character lessons. (Reviews will follow for some suggestions for these over the next few days.)
Reviews, suggestions, and links coming up! Thanks for joining us.
*For the complete story of “Jonathan’s Journal, follow this link: http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-seventy-eight-introducing-jonathans.ht
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
day 131: read aloud tips--part i
"Right after lunch Josiah, Kara, and I picked out our stories for story time. We snuggled on the couch with Mommy and read them. I was so happy ‘coz it was my day, and I got to pick two stories today. I picked Curious George and a book about astronauts. Story time is my favorite time of the day.”
“Jonathan’s Journal” *
Read Aloud Tips
1. Make books a big part of your life from the beginning! Our kids knew that books were important to us. It isn’t uncommon for us to have forty to fifty books and talking books under our tree on Christmas morning. When our kids were babies and toddlers, they had little baskets with their baby books in them. These were their book baskets—and putting their books in them after play time was one of their first chores!
2. Make reading aloud a big deal from the beginning. As I said in some earlier posts, I started having a story time with our babies when they were several months old and were being weaned from one of their nursings. I would replace that afternoon feeding (after the baby had eaten food for lunch and had milk out of a sipper cup) with a story time. It was short—at first only two to four minutes—but it became an integral part of baby’s schedule.
3. Make joining into “older kids’ reading” a big deal—and a privilege that is earned. Once our toddlers became preschoolers, they got to join our regular “before nap” story time. This took the place of their short story time with Mom alone. We made a huge affair of the little joining us. The other kids were always so excited to have the toddler come into our snuggle and read time! However, if the toddler didn’t lie still and be quiet, he got taken to his crib early and missed the rest of story time. The toddler soon learned that joining regular afternoon story time was a privilege that was to be earned, not just something that he got to do at a certain age or time.
4. Let children choose story time books too. If you have enough time to really do a lengthy story time, go for it. I had long story times with my preschoolers and elementary children, so everybody got to pick one story, and the person who was “it” that day (see post two days ago) got to choose two stories. I had library books on a library shelf, then, of course, our huge collection of books to choose from. Choosing a story or two each day was really exciting for the kids. Sometimes they would talk about it or ponder it all day long!
5. You choose stories too. Kids will often pick the same books over and over again, so I always chose a couple or a few (depending on the length of the books that day) to read each day too. The children often found new favorites through my choosing of books—and oftentimes they were books that they maybe would not have picked themselves, etc. Sometimes I would choose stories that went along with what we were studying in homeschool (i.e. “You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pioneer” when we were doing American History or “Hiawatha” when we were doing poetry, etc.). Other times I would choose something similar to what they were picking or by the same author, etc.
Continued……more reading tips coming—including suggestions and reviews!
*For the complete story of “Jonathan’s Journal, follow this link: http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-seventy-eight-introducing-jonathans.html
“Jonathan’s Journal” *
Read Aloud Tips
1. Make books a big part of your life from the beginning! Our kids knew that books were important to us. It isn’t uncommon for us to have forty to fifty books and talking books under our tree on Christmas morning. When our kids were babies and toddlers, they had little baskets with their baby books in them. These were their book baskets—and putting their books in them after play time was one of their first chores!
2. Make reading aloud a big deal from the beginning. As I said in some earlier posts, I started having a story time with our babies when they were several months old and were being weaned from one of their nursings. I would replace that afternoon feeding (after the baby had eaten food for lunch and had milk out of a sipper cup) with a story time. It was short—at first only two to four minutes—but it became an integral part of baby’s schedule.
3. Make joining into “older kids’ reading” a big deal—and a privilege that is earned. Once our toddlers became preschoolers, they got to join our regular “before nap” story time. This took the place of their short story time with Mom alone. We made a huge affair of the little joining us. The other kids were always so excited to have the toddler come into our snuggle and read time! However, if the toddler didn’t lie still and be quiet, he got taken to his crib early and missed the rest of story time. The toddler soon learned that joining regular afternoon story time was a privilege that was to be earned, not just something that he got to do at a certain age or time.
4. Let children choose story time books too. If you have enough time to really do a lengthy story time, go for it. I had long story times with my preschoolers and elementary children, so everybody got to pick one story, and the person who was “it” that day (see post two days ago) got to choose two stories. I had library books on a library shelf, then, of course, our huge collection of books to choose from. Choosing a story or two each day was really exciting for the kids. Sometimes they would talk about it or ponder it all day long!
5. You choose stories too. Kids will often pick the same books over and over again, so I always chose a couple or a few (depending on the length of the books that day) to read each day too. The children often found new favorites through my choosing of books—and oftentimes they were books that they maybe would not have picked themselves, etc. Sometimes I would choose stories that went along with what we were studying in homeschool (i.e. “You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pioneer” when we were doing American History or “Hiawatha” when we were doing poetry, etc.). Other times I would choose something similar to what they were picking or by the same author, etc.
Continued……more reading tips coming—including suggestions and reviews!
*For the complete story of “Jonathan’s Journal, follow this link: http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-seventy-eight-introducing-jonathans.html
"Right after lunch Josiah, Kara, and I picked out our stories for story time. We snuggled on the couch with Mommy and read them. I was so happy ‘coz it was my day, and I got to pick two stories today. I picked Curious George and a book about astronauts. Story time is my favorite time of the day.”
“Jonathan’s Journal”
As my children were growing up, we had several read-aloud periods—often in one day. And we had various names for all of them through the years: morning read aloud, content reading, subject reading, history reading, devotional reading, character reading, breakfast reading, family read aloud, lunchtime reading, unit studies reading, story time, matching sweat suit day reading (corny, but we loved it!), read all day reading, story time, bedtime stories, and yes, even more.
Now we have just a few reading times. I will list these below and will detail them in the coming week, including some suggested titles for them and book reviews!
1. Morning reading—for us, this is like our “school devotional extended.” We have this morning reading time after morning routines and morning chores—three or four days a week (“more often than not”).
2. History read aloud—two or three days a week, I do history reading with the kids. I have never been one to get my pre-high school kids a bunch of science, social studies, health, etc. text books. I have always used our read-aloud times and assigned reading of real books as their primary sources for these subjects. We have been doing American history for the past couple of years, slowly making our way through various read aloud sources, audio books, assigned readers, and more.
3. Family read aloud books—We enjoy listening together as a family to radio dramas (especially Adventures in Odyssey!), audio books, Christian discipleship type books, biographies, and occasionally, fiction books. For example, we have recently read Mercy Ships (about the ministry of the medical/surgical ships that go around the world) and Being a Christian in a Brave New World by Joni Ereckson Tada. Unfortunately, the older the boys get, the harder it is to get us all together long enough to read lengthy books; however, audio books are something we can do while we do other things, so we try to utilize those whenever possible.
4. Story time—Jakie and I are the only ones who regularly enjoy story time nowadays (sniff, sniff). However, sometimes we can talk Josiah into joining us, and occasionally, if we are reading a chapter book, Jonathan will listen from the dining room as he does school or works on a project. Story time is one thing that I for sure do not regret spending the hours upon hours in over the past twenty-seven years of parenting. When I had several small children, we would get the babies to sleep then cuddle in Mommy’s bed and read for one to two hours, then drift off for afternoon naps (including Mom!). My first reaction to that is “How did I ever find time for that nearly every weekday afternoon?” And my answer is that I found the time because it was a priority to me. We find the time for everything that is truly important to us. (And I found the time for the nap because it was essential during the fourteen out of seventeen years that I was nursing and/or pregnant!) I stayed home most days and just invested in my kids and home—and I don’t regret it at all!
The next few days will include story time tips, suggested story time books, starting chapter books aloud, and more!
*For the complete story of “Jonathan’s Journal, follow this link: http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-seventy-eight-introducing-jonathans.html
“Jonathan’s Journal”
As my children were growing up, we had several read-aloud periods—often in one day. And we had various names for all of them through the years: morning read aloud, content reading, subject reading, history reading, devotional reading, character reading, breakfast reading, family read aloud, lunchtime reading, unit studies reading, story time, matching sweat suit day reading (corny, but we loved it!), read all day reading, story time, bedtime stories, and yes, even more.
Now we have just a few reading times. I will list these below and will detail them in the coming week, including some suggested titles for them and book reviews!
1. Morning reading—for us, this is like our “school devotional extended.” We have this morning reading time after morning routines and morning chores—three or four days a week (“more often than not”).
2. History read aloud—two or three days a week, I do history reading with the kids. I have never been one to get my pre-high school kids a bunch of science, social studies, health, etc. text books. I have always used our read-aloud times and assigned reading of real books as their primary sources for these subjects. We have been doing American history for the past couple of years, slowly making our way through various read aloud sources, audio books, assigned readers, and more.
3. Family read aloud books—We enjoy listening together as a family to radio dramas (especially Adventures in Odyssey!), audio books, Christian discipleship type books, biographies, and occasionally, fiction books. For example, we have recently read Mercy Ships (about the ministry of the medical/surgical ships that go around the world) and Being a Christian in a Brave New World by Joni Ereckson Tada. Unfortunately, the older the boys get, the harder it is to get us all together long enough to read lengthy books; however, audio books are something we can do while we do other things, so we try to utilize those whenever possible.
4. Story time—Jakie and I are the only ones who regularly enjoy story time nowadays (sniff, sniff). However, sometimes we can talk Josiah into joining us, and occasionally, if we are reading a chapter book, Jonathan will listen from the dining room as he does school or works on a project. Story time is one thing that I for sure do not regret spending the hours upon hours in over the past twenty-seven years of parenting. When I had several small children, we would get the babies to sleep then cuddle in Mommy’s bed and read for one to two hours, then drift off for afternoon naps (including Mom!). My first reaction to that is “How did I ever find time for that nearly every weekday afternoon?” And my answer is that I found the time because it was a priority to me. We find the time for everything that is truly important to us. (And I found the time for the nap because it was essential during the fourteen out of seventeen years that I was nursing and/or pregnant!) I stayed home most days and just invested in my kids and home—and I don’t regret it at all!
The next few days will include story time tips, suggested story time books, starting chapter books aloud, and more!
*For the complete story of “Jonathan’s Journal, follow this link: http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-seventy-eight-introducing-jonathans.html
Sunday, May 9, 2010
day 129: today is "my day"!
"Right after lunch Josiah, Kara, and I picked out our stories for story time. We snuggled on the couch with Mommy and read them. I was so happy ‘coz it was my day, and I got to pick two stories today. I picked Curious George and a book about astronauts. Story time is my favorite time of the day.”
“Jonathan’s Journal”
In the story time excerpt from “Jonathan’s Journal,” it was Jonathan’s “day,” so he got to pick two stories instead of one. When I had several young children, I assigned each child “a day” each week. I first got this idea when I was in teacher’s college, and it was suggested that we teachers pick a different student each day to focus on. It was recommended that we write that child’s name on the calendar for that day (to keep record of who got which day and to ensure that each child got a day) and that we try to praise, help, make more contact with, etc. that particular student on that day. This approach would keep the “non-sqeaky wheels” from getting overlooked.
I applied that to my family, assigning each child a day (Monday was Cami’s day; Tuesday was Kayla’s; Wednesday was Joshua’s; etc.). On that day, that particular child got many advantages and privileges, as well as some extra jobs. Here are some of the perks that I instituted for the child on his day throughout the years:
1. Special focus—I tried to praise, affirm, spend more time with, tie heart strings more, etc. for that child on that day
2. Sitting in the front seat if we went anywhere (Because we only went places one or two days a week during the day during the week when my older children were little, we had to alternate whose day it was each week because otherwise, for example, the Monday or Tuesday child would seldom get to sit in the front seat since we seldom went anywhere early in the week.)
3. Sitting closest to Mom during morning read aloud and afternoon story time
4. Saying the prayer during breakfast and lunch
5. Getting to choose two stories instead of one at story time (and getting their stories read first and last)
6. Getting to have a longer talk time with Dad that night before bed
7. Helping Mom cook dinner that day (before they could cook meals entirely by themselves)
8. Doing an extra job from the job jar
9. Taking a morning or afternoon “twalk” (talk and walk) with Mom
My kids loved having their special day. It meant more responsibility and work, but it also meant more heart-affecting time—and they were keenly aware of that.
*For the complete story of “Jonathan’s Journal, follow this link: http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-seventy-eight-introducing-jonathans.html
“Jonathan’s Journal”
In the story time excerpt from “Jonathan’s Journal,” it was Jonathan’s “day,” so he got to pick two stories instead of one. When I had several young children, I assigned each child “a day” each week. I first got this idea when I was in teacher’s college, and it was suggested that we teachers pick a different student each day to focus on. It was recommended that we write that child’s name on the calendar for that day (to keep record of who got which day and to ensure that each child got a day) and that we try to praise, help, make more contact with, etc. that particular student on that day. This approach would keep the “non-sqeaky wheels” from getting overlooked.
I applied that to my family, assigning each child a day (Monday was Cami’s day; Tuesday was Kayla’s; Wednesday was Joshua’s; etc.). On that day, that particular child got many advantages and privileges, as well as some extra jobs. Here are some of the perks that I instituted for the child on his day throughout the years:
1. Special focus—I tried to praise, affirm, spend more time with, tie heart strings more, etc. for that child on that day
2. Sitting in the front seat if we went anywhere (Because we only went places one or two days a week during the day during the week when my older children were little, we had to alternate whose day it was each week because otherwise, for example, the Monday or Tuesday child would seldom get to sit in the front seat since we seldom went anywhere early in the week.)
3. Sitting closest to Mom during morning read aloud and afternoon story time
4. Saying the prayer during breakfast and lunch
5. Getting to choose two stories instead of one at story time (and getting their stories read first and last)
6. Getting to have a longer talk time with Dad that night before bed
7. Helping Mom cook dinner that day (before they could cook meals entirely by themselves)
8. Doing an extra job from the job jar
9. Taking a morning or afternoon “twalk” (talk and walk) with Mom
My kids loved having their special day. It meant more responsibility and work, but it also meant more heart-affecting time—and they were keenly aware of that.
*For the complete story of “Jonathan’s Journal, follow this link: http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-seventy-eight-introducing-jonathans.html
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