One way that may homeschoolers fit in read aloud time is at bedtime. Even as a child gets older, they still enjoy being read to at bedtime. This is an excellent time to snuggle up and read a book the whole family might enjoy. And you may wish to make bedtime reading educational as well.
If you have children close in age, it will be easy to get together as a family and have a bedtime book; however, if you have children of various ages, especially spread out age-wise, you may find that two separate reading sessions are in order. You may find that you and your husband can take turns with this reading to one one night and the other another night. However, you may prefer to read to an older child through an entire book so the discussion is better but it’s really up to you. I always prefer to finish reading a book I start with my oldest because, let’s admit it, I enjoy the book too!
In order to make bedtime reading educational, you will want to use the reading time to further something that you are studying, or on a topic of study. But let’s be honest, there is usually something you can learn from just about any book worth reading. Whether you are reading Dr. Seuss to your little’s and talking about rhyming words or Little House on the Prairie to your 7 year old and talking about life on the prairie, you will find that you can make something educational out of most books you are reading at bedtime.
We choose to include fiction books that go along with something we are studying. For instance, when we were studying ancient Greece we included Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Magic Treehouse Hour of the Olympics. When we were studying early American History we included American Girl books about the time period and the Little House on the Prairie books.
Here are some good bedtime selections just in general.
Younger Children – non-chapter books
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
Just Go to Bed by Mercer Meyer
Elementary Children – chapter books
The Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Magic Treehouse Books by Mary Pope Osbourne and Sal Murdocca
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
Right now we are reading “Stories for Four Year Olds” to our, well, 4 year old, and The Chronicles of Narnia to our 3rd grader. We are also reading “The Story” as a family which we read two times a week instead of our fiction books.
There are many choices for reading at bedtime. Whether you choose something for fun or something educational, you can find that bedtime reading can be educational or just a time to spend together with your children.
What are you reading at bedtime?
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