Starting tomorrow (Jan. 18 - Mar. 31), families can participate in Reading Aloud Family Time (R.A.F.T.) at the Mid-Continent Public Libraries. Participating families who read three multi-chapter books together earn a free hardback version of The Jungle Book, an award certificate, and a chance to win a DVD copy of Disney’s film version of The Jungle Book.
My girls and I love to share books together and we include chapter books in our daily reading. We devoured the Little House series last summer. We adore the Mary Poppins books and Charlotte's Web. In the past year, we've also read Mr. Popper's Penguins, an abridged version of Peter Pan, and recently completed Pollyanna.
I love sharing many of my childhood favorites with the girls and we're excited to read The Rescuers together as our first selection for the R.A.F.T. program this winter.
Some tips for Reading Chapter Books as a Family:
What to Read
- For young children try to choose stories that are exciting and move somewhat quickly. They lose interest with long descriptive paragraphs. Our top goal is to hold their interest so they'll grow to love reading as adults. Vibrant illustrations help.
- I use the library website for lists of books with topics that engage my children, or Amazon.com where I can read reviews, find recommendations based on past favorites, and sort by age and interest to discover new titles.
- Let them pick. I like to pick several titles, show them to my daughters and tell them a bit about each book, then let them choose which one we read next. They are more enthusiastic when they help choose the books we read.
- Start with their favorite things. If your child isn't enthusiastic about books, try to begin with a title that relates to their favorite things to captivate their interest.
When to Read
- Timing is everything! We like to read together at least twice a day, once right after lunch and once right before bed. Chapter books work well for us right after lunch when the girls are most alert. Some evenings, we're able to continue the chapter book at night. Other nights, we skip it and focus on picture books for bedtime. I gauge their alertness and attention span to make the choice, but we do read more in our chapter books each day.
Make it Fun!
- Make it a "real life adventure." When we read Little House, we went on outings all around Kansas City to learn more about Laura's life and help bring the books to life for the girls.
- Bring it to life at home. The library is a great resource for cookbooks and craft books that relate to many literary themes. We found many terrific Little House cookbooks and craft books from the library for activity ideas we were able to enjoy as a family. Mary Poppins led to tea parties, chalk drawings, watching Julie Andrews in the classic role, and making English scones.
- Let them illustrate the book. After you read, let the kids draw pictures inspired by the story or act out scenes with puppets.
So, I'd love to know... what are YOUR favorite chapter books to read as a family? And, do you have any great tips for family reading time?
Written by Kristina Light