Homeschooling.....On the Lap

I am a mom of 6 children, who also happens to homeschool.  Changes came in 2010 when our 6th child was born and we've had to make many adjustments to our homeschooling schedule.  At the end of last year I sat down and wondered what I could do to make our day more productive, and yet still give my very needy 1 year old the attention she craves.  That's when I made the decision to start homeschooling on the lap.  I've veered toward a literature based curriculum and we sit on the couch and read our way through literature, history, science, and whatever else we want to learn about. That way my 1 year old can sit on my lap and feel like she has some sort of attention from me.  Of course we still do workbooks for Language/English and Math :).

All this to say, children need to be read to...no matter what their age.  My older girls are 8 & 9 and they still look forward to it every morning.  They write out vocabulary words they need to learn, details they find interesting, etc., which helps with comprehension.  My younger ones just love being able to hear a story and have someone read to them.  It is also building their vocabulary and you'd be amazed at what little children retain.

I'm going to try to do book reviews of what we read through.  Many of our books can be found at the library, which happens to be our second home. :)

Kristine

The Daddy Mountain by Jules Fieffer

The Daddy Mountain, by Jules Fieffer, is a winner of the Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards.  It's also a favorite in our house.  I bought it many years ago when my second child was little.  She loved her daddy and the minute he stopped moving she'd be climing on him.  The character in this book also loves to climb up daddy, so the book was a perfect fit for my daughter.

Although it hadn't been read in a few years, it was still sitting on our bookshelf.  As my 3 year old was trying to climb up my husband yesterday I was reminded of this cute tale.  So, we pulled it out, and as I started to read it to my 3 year old, ALL my girls came over and listened.  Even at 9 and 8 my older ones weren't too old, especially because they could relate to it.  My one year old even came over and joined us . . . just because.  The child in the book (no gender specified) gets very excited about the trek up the daddy mountain, and it leaves your child wondering what will happen next.  This book is most suited for 2 - 5 year olds, but great for all ages up through elementary school.

Snow Dude

This book is so engaging for kids.  The snow dude is adorable, which is what caught my attention to begin with.  Kids will love snow dude as well as the rest of the pictures.  The rhyming text makes it fun as the characters chase snow dude through the town.  A quick read, but tons of pictures to engage your child even further.  I originally got it for my 2 year old, but even my older girls picked it up, read it, and said they liked it.

Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Read A Book A Day for One Month

Today would have been Dr. Seuss' birthday.  In honor of a wonderful man, who loved to promote reading and literacy in children, I'm planning on starting a "Book a Day" for the entire month of March with my 2 year old.  She's been showing major interest in books, and having my older girls read to her is just not enough for me.  It only takes a few minutes a day to sit and read a board book, or even something a little longer.  The rewards will be huge!  Who wants to join me?  One book a day, for one month.  Let's see the impact we can have on our children.  I'll leave you with some wise words from Dr. Seuss himself.

"The more that you read,

The more things you will know.

The more that you learn,

The more places you'll go."

~ Dr. Seuss ~

Reading the Same Book to Your Child, Over and Over Again

When my son was little he always wanted me to read the same book, over and over and over again, until I couldn't take it anymore.  At the time I would make other suggestions.  I would think to myself, please anything but Goodnight Moon AGAIN!  But he always won, and we would read it again.

Fastforward nine years to when my second child was a year old.  I was older now, and having a child changed me, so I was a different person.  I thought it was fun to read the same book over and over and over again.  Only this time it was any book by Sandra Boynton.  My daughter loved these books and we would read them for hours.  We would look and talk about the pictures.  It didn't take long for us to memorize those books.

Since that time another 8 years has passed, and now I have a 2 year old who loves to listen to stories and look at books.  I find it funny that after almost 18 years I can still recite Goodnight Moon from memory.  But, as I read this book to my daughter recently, it got me thinking.  Reading builds language skills.  It also opens a doorway to literacy.  But, I think, most importantly it builds a bond between you and your child.  It shows them you know just how important reading is.

I'm Discouraged My Child Isn't Reading

Last May, at the end of the school year, I felt as if I was at a stand still with one of my children.  She wouldn't read, and when she did try I wasn't seeing much progress.  After much frustration on my part, I decided to back off for a while and give us both a break.  I continued to read to her, using my finger to point to the words so she could see what I was reading.  When we started school again in August, I decided she could use as much review as possible, so we pretty much went back to the beginning.  She didn't seem to be "getting it" any quicker than she had last spring, so we went slow.  Some days I wondered if she would ever catch up.  Within the last month I have seen huge progress.  It took a long time, but I feel like we're finally moving forward.  Here are a few tips that may help.   

• Try not to get discouraged - (Believe me, I know sometimes this is easier said than done).
• Stick with what they know until they are comfortable and fluent at it. - We worked on 3 letter words for about 3-4 months.
• Reward their efforts. - If she tries really hard and makes the effort I reward her with stickers, etc. After so many accumulated stickers you can offer a reward.
• If you feel yourself getting frustrated, find a mentor. - There is a great lady at our church who has/still is home schooling her 8 children.  She doesn't have a struggling reader, but she's had struggles and is such an encouragement to keep me from wondering "What am I'm doing wrong?"
• Most of all, try to enjoy them.  It's super hard when they don't want to read, but give them time.  Read to them and enjoy the time you are spending with them.

Make A Book With Your Children

I think we all have memories of growing up.  Vacations we've taken with our families, holidays, etc.  I also have memories of things I made.  Kids like to create.  So today, as I was home schooling my girls, I had an idea for my struggling reader.  I'm going to have her make her own book.  She is going to draw the pictures and even help create the story.  If I make sure to put it in words she can read, maybe this would encourage her to want to read.  After all, it will be her creation.

It doesn't have to be anything fancy.  If all you have is some construction paper and crayons, that is fine.  Give them some ideas for a story line.  A pet, grandparents, their birthday.  Let them choose and see if it doesn't peak an interest into the wonderful world of reading.

Tips for Helping a Struggling Reader

If you have a struggling reader you know just how frustrating it can be.  If you've looked for strategies, but it seems like they're not working, don't give up.  Here are a couple of things I've recently tried with my daughter who is resisting it too.

• Read street signs, cereal boxes, game pieces/cards, restaurant menus, etc.  You will be reading it to them, taking the focus off of the reading, but they'll be learning the value of why they need to learn.
• Try alternating pages.  You read the left pages and have them read the right side pages.
• Don't correct all their mistakes.  Give yourself a maximum number of mistakes you'll correct.  I only correct approx. one error per page.  If the focus is on the errors they won't want to read, only to be corrected.
• Read to them.  My daughter was resisting so bad I just stopped fighting her.  After about a month she asked why I wasn't having her read anymore.
• Most of all, praise them for their efforts! 

 

Reading Books Without Words

This summer, as my girls and I took a break from school, I took the time to ponder what made my oldest daughter such a good reader.  You see, I'm now on my second struggling reader, and wondering what I can be doing to make it easier for her to learn.  Sarah, my oldest, has always had a love of books.  Long before she could even talk I would find her in the corner of her room with books spread out all around her.  She would sit there for an hours (which is a very long time for a 1 year old).  Because of that, and the fact that I had four less children, I spent more time looking at books and reading to her. 

As I thought about what I could do to help Andrea read better, I remembered one of Sarah's favorite books.  HUG by Jez Alborough.

I bought this from a book club when Sarah was little.  To be honest, at first sight, I was a little disappointed.  There were hardly any words and it was more like a picture book.  But it soon became one of Sarah's favorites, as well as one of mine.  This monkey learns to connect with his mother through watching other animals hug.  As I thought about this great book, I realized reading to your children is more than just the words on a page.  And then I wondered if that is all it would take for Andrea to want to read more.....a little more time with mom, and some good books to just cuddle up with. 

My Child Refuses to Read

Lately I have been having some great difficulty with one of my girls.  She all of a sudden started refusing to read.  I know its for attention - it started when the new baby was born - but it's frustrating none the less. 

In my mind I was going to 'win', so to speak.  I know its a battle of wills, and therefore I figured if I came out stronger, then I would win.  I guess I forgot where she gets her strong will from. LOL  We are now 2 months into our standoff.  I have been growing very weary of this whole thing.  I don't want to hold her back and redo Kindergarten.  In my mind that would make me feel like a failure (I homeschool), but I can't let her move ahead if she's not willing to do the work.  So, last Sunday I ran into a friend at church.  She also happens to homeschool and has much more experience than me, so I thought maybe she could help me come up with some kind of solution.  I broke down in tears over the stress that had been building.  She listened, without judgement, and then said to me, "Just read to her, that way she doesn't lose what she has learned up to this point."  It sounded so simple, so basic.  Why hadn't I thought of that?  I agreed to try it. But more importantly, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I was able to see the situation a little more clearly.

It's been one week since that conversation.  Not only am I reading to her, but I realized if I use my finger to point out the words I'm reading, she will at least follow along visually.  At times I will find her looking at books, and sometimes she will ask me what something says.  Usually it is a word that is way above her phonics level.  I answer her, with the hopes that maybe she is reading silently to herself, even if she won't read to me yet.  I've decided to back off on trying to get her to read, at least for a little while. After all, I don't want her to end up hating reading.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, I encourage you not to get discouraged.  Don't let it become a battle of wills.  The biggest lesson I've learned through all of this is to just love your child through it. And read to them, so they will someday learn to love reading too.

Reading to Your Baby

I can remember back to when my youngest brother was about one.  My mother would read to him while she was nursing.  This became a ritual for them, but I don't think I would remember that she did if it wasn't for one particular book that she read.  Are you ready???.......

Chances, by Danielle Steele. I know it's not a childrens book, my mother knew that too. But she also knew the importance of reading to your child. It didn't matter what she was reading, after all it wasn't like he could look at pictures while he was nursing. But, the part of the memory that sticks out the most for me is that my brother would ask for my mother to read this book. He would ask for the book by name, and he could even name the characters in the book. My sister and I were about 12 at the time and we thought this was hysterical. But now that I'm a parent I see a different side to this story. He wanted to spend time on my mothers lap, with her reading to him. It didn't matter what it was.  That was 25+ years ago, but the memory is still there. Let your children climb up on your lap with a good book. There are so many benefits to reading to your child. You will open up doors to a whole new world of learning. Not to mention, the time you spend with them could change their world.

Getting Your Child to Love Reading

Do you struggle getting your child to read?  Get your child a book about something that interests them.  I know this may sound basic to some of you, but to a child who struggles, they just don't want to read, period.  It doesn't matter what the subject or content.  They'll find a reason not to open the book. 

When my son was in grammar school, getting him to read was pure torture. He would rather do anything else. This went on for quite a few years until someone made that exact suggestion to me.  If you're anything like me you are probably thinking one of two things. 1.) There is no way this is going work, or 2.) He has tons of books about stuff he likes.  I'll admit that's what I thought.  But seeing him struggle, and knowing how hard it was for him, I decided to give it a try.  I racked my brain trying to come up with the one thing he loved the most.  At the time - he was around 9 or 10 - it happened to be 'Star Wars'.  I went out and bought him a couple very basic chapter books. (you can always use the library).  They were below the reading level he should have been at but I wanted something that would build his confidence.  It worked.  Once he realized he 'liked' reading it because of the content I got him a couple more that were just a tad harder.  Before I knew it he was just about caught up with the rest of his classmates.  I cannot remember who gave me that bit of advice, but I will be forever grateful.  

This doesn't necessarily have to pertain to struggling readers.  You can do this with any child.  My 8 year old daughter (pictured right) loves horses.  This is a complete understatement :).  She will read anything you give her if it's about horses.  The book she is reading in this picture is an adult book about every conceiveable horse around the world. The book itself weighs about 5 pounds and is about 18" X 26".  She can barely carry it.  Most of the content is above her comprehension, but that's not always a bad thing.  It's something that interests her, so she takes in all she can.  In years to come I'm sure she'll re-read it and get more out of it.

If you have a struggling reader I encourage you to try this.  With summer coming it is the perfect time.  They can read what they want instead of the required books from the school.  If you think you've tried with no results, try a different topic.   Re-evalute what is important to your child at the moment.  After all, kids interests change all the time.

The Desire to Learn How to Read

When my son was about 4 years old, he asked me to teach him to read.  At the time, I was a single mother, who worked full-time. Let me just say that I missed a great opportunity.  No matter how busy I was, I should have taken his request to heart.  I probably figured he'd be in school the following year and they would teach him.  By the time he was in first grade he was in special reading classes for those who had fallen behind.  They would pull him out of class, on a regular basis, and have the special ed teacher work with him.  For many years after that reading was a struggle for him.  I didn't like seeing him struggle, and even back then, regretted my procrastination. 

A few years later, when my daughter Sarah was about one, I would find her sitting quietly in a corner looking at books.  She had a love of books I have never seen in any child before.  At that point, I was reminded of Zachary's struggles and I was determined that I would never let that happen again.  So, when she was 4, and said she wanted to learn to read, I was determined not to miss the opportunity a second time.  Reading came natural to her and by the time she was 5 she was reading 3rd grade books. She is now 8 and can read anything she is given (although she is monitored). 

I know every child is different. But, when I look at my own experiences, I can't help but wonder if we shouldn't listen to our childrens requests more.  If they are asking to learn, teach them.  Do your best.  You don't have to have them reading books, but teach them the letter sounds, etc.  It is proven that learning is easier when you are young.  Children can learn multiple languages and music much easier.  Maybe, that can be said for reading too.

~Kristine

Author Introduction: Kristine

Hi! My name is Kristine, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to be contributing to this blog! First, let me tell you a little about myself. I am married to my best friend, and together we have six children. Our son Zachary is 17, Sarah is 8, Rachael is 7, Andrea is 5, Kiera is 2, and Jessica, who is our newest addition, is 6 weeks old. My son attends a technical high school and I home school our girls. My focus is going to be on the educational part of reading. I have discovered over the years that all children learn differently and each one may need a different approach to it. I have one daughter that learned to read at 4 years old, but also have 2 that had difficulties learning to read (one is still struggling), and one that has low vision. Reading is such an important part of life. I believe it opens a door to a world of learning. Hopefully, by reading to our children when they are young, we can create a desire in them to learn to read. I’m honored to take part in helping to pass along a lifetime of learning and I look forward to this adventure.

~Kristine