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I have a confession to make: I've fallen into the "too busy to read aloud to my independent reader" trap. My 14 year old daughter, StrawberryGirl, reads to herself and seeks out books on a regular basis, but my 11 year old son, GreenGuy, won't always do so unless I help him to seek out books he will enjoy. While I still help him to find great books (and I still read a lot in front of my children), I miss reading aloud really great novels together.
When my children were younger, we used to read picture books and more advanced novels together every night. It was something we all looked forward to every day, but that was before all of the running around started. We're running around after school and in the evening so much these days, that we barely have time to sit down to eat dinner together, let alone read together!
Well, I've decided that this summer, we are going to reestablish that nightly ritual. My children may be older now, but my philosophy is that children are never too old to be read to. It may be more difficult to find novels that we all will relate to, but I always like a great challenge (especially when it concerns books)!
I firmly believe that reading aloud to your child is the single most important gift you could ever give to him or her. All ages of children, whether they're babies or middle schoolers (or even high schoolers), can benefit significantly from this quality time spent together. Not only that, but it's an experience that you don't want to miss out on as a parent. There's some really great children's literature out there that all ages of people will enjoy.
There have been some really great articles about the importance of reading on Twitter recently. I'd like to share a few of them:
- The New York Times editorial, "Some Thoughts on the Lost Art of Reading Aloud," by Verlyn Klinkenborg.
- Education.com's Literacy Learning: It's Not What You Read, But How You Read It," by Todd Hoffman
- Teacher Magazine's "Parents: Reading Role Models or Victims of Readicide?" by Donalyn Miller
- TwinCities.com's "Summer Reading: How Parents Can Keep Kids on Track for Successful Learning," by Molly Millett.
It's not easy fitting read alouds in when you're so busy. When you think about it, parents and children have so many other important things to focus upon (another important one is eating healthfully), but it's something that we all need to make time for on a daily basis. A great way to start is by setting aside 15 to 30 minutes a day for at least 4 or 5 days per week. It doesn't matter how old your child is; it's never too late to start reading with him or her!
So, how do you fit shared reading into your busy schedule? Is there a favorite time or place that you like to read with your child?