Reading

Five Ways to Have a Successful Family Reading Time

a mom and daughter laugh at a book

5 Ways to Have Successful Family Reading Time Although having a family reading time is important to my family, I realize that with the numerous other obligations a homeschool mama has, reading aloud as a family might not seems doable.  Our family reading time is one of our favorite times of the day, but it didn’t always look like it does now.  Here are five easy tips to help you and your family have an awesome daily reading time together:

1. Be choosy about the time of day.

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Homeschool Learning Spaces: The Reading Nook

a young girl reads, stretched out on a chaise

Homeschool Learning Spaces: The Reading NookNo matter what style of homeschooling you follow, reading is probably a very strong part of your homeschooling journey because reading is one of the best ways to learn about the world, all from the comfort of your own home.

Unschoolers read. Relaxed homeschoolers read. Charlotte Mason homeschoolers read. Montessori followers read. Classical homeschoolers read.

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Join the You Should Read This Book Chat

a three-tiered metal cart filled with curriculum

Read any good books lately?

Of course you have! You use BookShark, and it’s full of fantastic fiction, inspiring biographies, and page-turning non-fiction.

We want to hear about your kids’ favorite books. So to inspire them to share, we’re holding a 6-week book chat contest. One student will win each week! It’s a great way to get your kids talking about books, and you’ll love the prize we have in store for the weekly winners.

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Reading Aloud with Your Middle Schooler: Why, How, and What

two middle schoolers read in a tent

Reading Aloud with Your Middle Schooler: Why, How, and WhatBy middle school, many of us homeschool moms stop reading with our children. Kids are “too cool” for it, and we parents assume they would rather read on their own. After all, they have full proficiency with reading now. However, I’ve caught my older son sitting nearby, listening in as I read to his little brother. Despite being a middle schooler, he still enjoys being read to!

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3 Tricks to Turn Your Kids into Bookworms

a boy lies on his back reading, his feet on a bookshelf

3 Tricks to Turn Your Kids into BookwormsReading is an important part of any child’s education. It opens doors into the past, the future, and even the other side of the world. Children who love reading have a huge advantage. They’ve absorbed advanced vocabulary and grammar without even realizing it. As a homeschool parent, you have great leverage to turn your children into bookworms. Here are three simple tricks to impart the book loving gene.

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How to Read to Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

a chubby baby sits on a gray cushion with a board book open in his hands

Having one preschooler rolling around on the floor, a toddler beside me trying to take the book from me, and a newborn son in my arms, my day started out more like a juggling act than read aloud time. 

I no longer have to guess whether or not what seemed like half-hearted attempts at planting tender reading seeds would flourish and bloom because today all of my sons are voracious readers.

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7 Ways Children Can Gain Read Aloud Confidence

a girl in a dotted hat holds a dog while browsing a book

7 Ways Children Can Gain Read Aloud ConfidenceThe best way to build a reader is to read aloud early and often, to surround yourselves with print, and to delight in the written word. If your child has positive memories around reading, and if your child sees you reading regularly, you are on the path to raising a reader. That said, not all readers are confident at reading aloud.

In fact, many adults will blush and stammer when asked to read aloud!

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How BookShark Teaches Reading Comprehension without Worksheets

a child leans his head on his dad's chest as the dad reads The Boxcar Children

How BookShark Teaches Reading Comprehension without WorksheetsMy fifth grader lies in the sunshine. Although her eyes are closed, I can tell she’s paying attention by the slight smirk on her lips. She loves this book—Where the Mountain Meets the Moon from BookShark Reading with History Level 5 Eastern Hemisphere. And in the passage today, we’re about to find the Old Man in the Moon.

Our daily ritual of reading aloud is one of our favorite parts of the homeschool day. It's not only a time for us to lose ourselves in a story, but it is also time for us to talk and share our ideas.

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