Category: Family
Purpose: Harmony and growth
Materials: Books
The success of this tip is: choosing books that are good for the whole family
READ ALOUD: This is a technique that couples without children can use to increase the culture in their home or grow together in a certain skill. With children you can start reading aloud to them from infancy on. The benefits of reading aloud as a family are virtually endless. One never grows too old to enjoy hearing a reading. You needn’t only choose how-to books. The better route is stories (fiction and non). The point is to enjoy reading and to have something to talk about as a family; daily or weekly, you decide.
Testimonial: I read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle to the kids. They began to find creative ways to make their work fun and imaginative. I love that little lady with the upside down house. It makes me a little less worried that my house is usually turned upside down knowing that hers is that way on purpose.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I remember Mom and Dad reading to all of us kids a lot. From Watership Down to the Chronicles of Narnia and of course The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. They were good memories and I loved that Dad did most of the reading.
I was just about to comment on the same thing, Em. I’m glad that you have good memories of those times.
I did like it as a kid. My father’s speciality was Micky Mouse, and my grandmother was the one to read the fairy tales. I do remember one fun time reading out loud in a group during my adulthood but generally I prefer to see the book myself. I am very visual and I don’t get as much out of it when I only hear it.
Mrs Piggle Wiggle! I’ve never heard of them. I’ll definitely have to hunt them down when I have kids.
Annie – Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is awesome! You are gonna love her.
Jutta – As a kid hearing the voices was one of my very favorite parts. Now as an adult doing the voices is my favorite part.
Mom – Some of the very best memories!
My sister – So many great books. I loved it too.
Read aloud is so fun – and have enjoyed the rare opportunities to do so with adults, too. Some of my friends had a book club called “Literate,” which worked well even for those who were not (so very literate) as instead of reading the book and coming to discuss it, you just showed up – every Sunday night if you could – and we’d pass the book around. We mostly read classics. I think we spent nine months on Ivanhoe. And of course there was always coffee and snacks! I do miss it.
But like Jutta I’ve found that we adults have a harder time sitting still and listening when they cannot hear the words (and so often, our books lack pictures!) Have to relearn that skill. And maybe a lot of kids just showed up for the hugs and cuddles and time with mom and dad (possibly delaying bedtime) more than the reading.
You’re right, the trick is to find books that are “all ages.” I loved Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and have shared her with my young friends. My favorite is probably “The radish cure.” Another good read-aloud, for kids a little older, is Ella Enchanted. And you might try The Tale of Despereaux.
Marti – These are some great recommendations for read-alouds. An adult group to read the classics aloud sounds lovely.