When someone finds out that I homeschool, they usually ask three questions.
-What about socialization?
-Do your kids have to be tested, or does someone have to approve your curriculum?
-Why did you decide to homeschool?
Over the course of these ongoing HOMESCHOOL 101 posts, I’ll likely get to all of these questions. But for starters, I thought I’d begin with that last question. It’s too big to answer it completely right now, so I’m going to give you one of the most important reasons to me, the mom: I want my kids to like reading good books.
When my oldest son was a preschooler he loved books. I would check-out stacks of books on a variety of subject and just have them around. It warmed my heart to see him there, propped up on his elbows, looking at books on the planets, airplanes, Alexander the Great. He learned to read very early, and he enjoyed the world it opened up for him….until he went to school.
Then, reading was something you did for school. Reading for fun was no longer fun. It broke my heart. When we decided after his first grade year to make the leap into homeschooling, restoring his love for books was one of my top priorities. I’m happy to report that I’ve been successful. Christopher, and all of my kids, love books (again). We usually have more than one hundred library books on our shelves at a time. My kiddos regularly beg me to take them to the library, which I would gladly to do every day if they didn’t want to spend hours there each time!
Whether you already homeschool, are thinking about homeschooling, or think I must be crazy to even bring up the subject, you most likely want your kids to read. This summer is the perfect time to start encouraging your kids to pick up some good books. Not only will it help beat the “summer’s getting boring blues”, but it can open up a world of information and adventure.
Here’s some pointers to encourage your children’s love of books:
-Go to the library a lot, and check-out lots (and lots) of books. It doesn’t matter if people look at you like you’re strange. It doesn’t matter if it takes you five trips to get all of those bags of books to the car. It’s worth it. Trust me.
-Encourage your kids to find out about what interests them through books. My kids regularly check out books on pirates and knights, baseball cards and basketball teams, ballet and drawing, guinea pigs and horses. You name it, they’ve read a book about it. Or they at least know they can, if they want to. When my kids come to me with a “why is the sky blue” or “what do tree frogs eat” kind of question, my first answer is always, “I don’t know, but we can get a book about it from the library.” Over their young lives, that simple reply has led them to books on many different subjects, and to many answers for their many questions.
-Get a variety of books. Non-fiction books, full of pictures, are a great way for them to enjoy science and history. Let them get books that are over their heads. It’s alright. Sometimes, a photograph of an ancient pyramid really is worth a thousand words. Picture books, chapter books, books to read by themselves, and books for you to read to them. Load ‘em up!
-Don’t treat all books equally. Some books aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. I call these “junk food” books. They’re no better than watching TV. Actually, I think they’re worse. Our kids do not need books that are simple and dumbed down. When in doubt, stick to classics. “Honey for a Child’s Heart” by Gladys Hunt is an invaluable resource for finding good books. My oldest son knows the value of a good book, and he’s passing this lesson onto his younger siblings. One day, on the way to the library, Mackenzie was talking to Christopher about looking for some books to read. He told her that she should probably stick to books that were written in the 1960′s and earlier. He said that “books written after that just aren’t as well-written”. Now, I know that isn’t always the case, but he’s learned the value of classic literature. Yea!
-Sign up for your library’s summer reading program. Whether your kids are toddlers or teenagers, they can likely sign up for a fun and motivating reading program. The kiddos get prizes for the time they spend reading books themselves or being read to. My kids enjoy filling up their charts with the many hours they spend with their books.
-Look for books on CD (at the library, of course). We listened to the “Chronicles of Narnia” books this way. We still need to finish the last couple of books, and this summer will be the perfect time. Since my husband is often at work during dinner time, I’ll put on a CD while we eat. It can continue to play while I’m washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. It makes for a relaxing and enjoyable experience for us all. This is also a good way to tame dinner-time trouble. Who wants to complain, act silly, or fight when Aslan is walking off into the woods with the White Witch? Not me!
I hope these ideas will get you started this summer. And I hope you’ll continue to join me in the homeschooling discussions. As my summer break starts soon, I’ll hopefully write more about why we do it, how we do it, and where to start if you want to do it, too.
Find more helpful summer ideas over on Works for Me Wednesday.
Photo credit: Daniel Hurst
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Your family sounds a lot like mine. When my son was in school, his biggest complaint was that they never let you just sit around and read a book!
oh your blog is oh so cute and very helpful!! Ijust found your blog and I am so happy that I did!! I’m your newest follower and can’t wait to read more of your posts
Thanks for sharing!!
hi! i LOVEEEE your blog!! i cannot wait to start using some of your organizing & couponning ideas! but about this post- my daughter (7) has definitely lost some of her love for reading. this is our first year homeschooling and i absolutely HATE making her read every day because i don’t want it to become a “have to” for school type of thing. so how did you help your son gain his love back? did you “require” reading every day for school? thanks for your blog and have a great day!
ps. i’m kind of new to this blog thing & i cannot find where i can follow you on here. thanks!
Leila,
I’ll answer your easy question first. You can follow Gospel Homemaking by entering your information into the box that says “Subscribe for Free Updates” on the sidebar. Also, if you click on the title of any post, there will be a box at the bottom (right before the comments) with links you can use to subscribe to email updates or an RSS feed. Let me know if you have any more questions about subscribing!
Now for your other question. This question sounds like a great topic for an entire post (I’ll make a note of it and hopefully give a more complete answer in the future). I’m no reading expert, but I’ll try to give you just a few tips from my experiences.
First of all, remember that all kids are different. Avoid the temptation to compare your daughter’s reading to someone in your church whose seven-year-old is reading the Illiad. In the original Greek!
Also, seven is very young. It’s good to challenge her with some reading that is a little more advanced, but if all reading is a struggle, she won’t be interested. It can be very helpful to have more than one kind of reading going on in your home:
1) If you are still doing some sort of formal reading lessons, continue these until she is comfortable with basic reading. These might not be “fun”, but they’re worth it.
2) During “school” reading time, choose books that are at, or just a little bit below, her reading level. If she’s still learning to read, have her read aloud to you. Set a timer for a few minutes and insist that she read for that time, but don’t push it. It’s better to start small and build up.
3) If these “school” reading times are still causing struggles, do them together. You read one page, then she reads one page.
4) Save harder books for read-aloud times. At this age, the books she’s able to read for herself will likely have simple sentences and be full of pictures. That’s fine. If you want her to read some classic lit, plan to read it to her or wait until she is old enough to enjoy it herself.
5) Have some free reading time during the day. This is different from her “school” reading time. Let her pick out picture books or anything that she would enjoy. This time is all about learning to love books.
6) Have lots of books about a variety of subjects. My daughter loves books on crafts, ballet, bunnies, magic tricks, etc., etc. Look at books on your history or science topic. Get stacks and stacks of books and have them setting around.
7) Be patient! Keep reading fun and don’t get discouraged if she isn’t reading twelve chapter books by the end of the school year. Look through the tips from the post (above), talk to the librarian, plan special reading times (complete with pillows and snacks!).
I hope these thoughts will prove helpful. Your little girl is blessed to have a mother who loves her and wants to teach her. Even if the only reading you accomplish in a day is the time you spend snuggling on the couch with a book you’ve already read a dozen times, you’ll be teaching her the value of a good book and a warm hug. What could be better?
Thanks for your reply! I really appreciate it! Your ideas and thoughts are great! Thanks again & have a great day!
Your family sounds a lot like us. We took our oldest out of school in part because they read ONE book in an entire year. The rest of the time was spent teaching to the test.
We have the same problem with books and the library. The bookmobile was at our house today (see, they even made us a bookmobile stop!). It’s bad when we go to the actual library because I wind up buying forty books for ten dollars and filling up five bags. They’ve gotten used to letting me park in the fire lane for five minutes to load up. LOL.
I love all of your tips. They are right on the money. The only one I missed seeing was to have baskets (or crates, bins, whatever…you did say stacks, though I do find that baskets, for some reason, intrigue my kids more than piles) filled with books all around your house. We have shelves of books everywhere, but still, it is the baskets that get the most traffic because the kids know that someone selected those books to be in that basket because they were good.
Oh, having book talks is a good one, too. Preview a book with the kids by telling them a bit about the author and the subject. Pronouncing any tough words, if they are beginning readers. Tell them just enough to interest them, then stick the book(s) in a basket and wait for the kids to discover them.
Thanks for such a good post. I am going to bookmark it and send folks here the next time I talk about reading on my blog.
Blessings,
Heather