Getting Back in the Habit of Reading Aloud

If you’ve followed my writing here at all, you know how passionate I am about reading to little ones. Since we follow the Charlotte Mason Method for our homeschool, I am reading plenty to my older children (though I would love to read more to them just for fun). My two younger children, on the other hand, haven’t had as much read-aloud time as I would like.

It was pretty easy for me to make a habit of reading to the two older ones when it was just them. But as our family has grown beyond two children (and certainly when there is an infant in the house), it has gotten more challenging to make it a priority.

Here are three things that help me get back in the habit of reading to my preschoolers!

Visit the Library

I love the library! Getting your hands on fresh material is a great way to inspire more read-aloud time in your home. I always encourage them to choose books they are interested in. Sometimes, books are the least interesting thing to them at the library. (I know, I don’t understand either!) If they are empty-handed, or just way too busy with other great things at our library, I will choose a handful of items for them. I like to pin great book lists that I come across, so I can keep my eye out for quality literature when I’m there.

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

Speaking of the library, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten is a great program we found there. It’s sort of like the summer reading program- only it’s five years long, and not seasonal. 😉 Our local library provides us with reading logs and stickers to keep track of our reading, and after every 100 books read and logged, the preschooler gets a free book. If your library doesn’t offer this, they have a website with printable reading logs, and there is actually an app for your iPhone or Android! It couldn’t get easier to keep track of your reading. I think it’s great to set goals for reading aloud to your little ones and I love the (relaxed) accountability this offers to busy parents and caregivers!

Read Aloud Basket

Recently, I began listening to the Read Aloud Revival podcast. I think in one episode, a guest was talking about how some books are more fun to read aloud than others. I thought about our book collection, and realized how accurate that is. We have hundreds of children’s books- some of them board books, some of them counting or alphabet books, some books with television characters, and of course, great story books. Let’s be honest though: not all of these books we acquire are favorite read-alouds. Of course, I will read the truck shaped board book repeatedly if my preschooler requests it, but I would rather steer him (see what I just did there?) to higher quality reading selections that we own. I set up a basket with some of our favorite storybooks to make it easier to just grab a book and read. We have quite the collection in our basket, including some classics and some inspirational read-alouds! Place it somewhere near your couch or wherever you feel most comfortable reading!

How do you get back in the habit of reading to your little ones?

Becky is a wife of nine years and stay at home mom to four young children. She aspires to encourage women in Biblical truth on her blog, Happy Christian Home