I love this quote, and let’s be honest… it is very relevant right now! While you may be feeling overwhelmed as a teacher prepping to remotely teach your students or a parent who has become a homeschool teacher over night…just BREATHE! Our kids are going to be okay!
Read Everyday!
One of the best things we can do is make sure our kids are reading or being read to DAILY. Discuss together what they have read or listened to.
Get kids talking about what they have read!
Ask them questions! What was the story about? What was your favorite part? Have them describe the characters, the setting, etc. Talk with your child about connections they can make to the story- Does the story remind them of another book they’ve read? Can they relate to the characters? Have they experienced or felt what a character did? Get them talking! Talking about what they’ve read will grow their comprehension skills and vocabulary.
When introducing a book your student has never read, have them make predictions about what they think will happen in the story. Have them do a picture walk and tell they story in their own words before ever reading it. It’s always fun to see if their predictions were right and they are developing vital skills along the way!
Online Reading Options
If you have exhausted your home library and are in need of new literature, there are great places online to help. These are a few of my classroom favorites:
STORYLINE ONLINE is a free online library for kids. It is hosted by the SAG Foundation. The videos feature actors reading children’s books. We use it in my classroom weekly, and my kids love it!
EPIC! is another site that my kids LOVE! It is free for teachers and for the first 30 days for parents. There are tons of books and videos. Kids can read on their own or have the books read to them.
Another fun site is VOOKS. It is a lot like EPIC!- free for teachers and free for 30 days for parents. It’s only $4.99 a month which is very inexpensive considering how many books it brings into your home. The books are animated and I promise your kids will love them.
Another option is always YOUTUBE. Just search “children’s books” or “read alouds for kids” and you will bombarded with options! Of course, you will also have to deal with ads that you can’t control so enter at your own risk!
Reading is not just for kids!
No matter what age student you are teaching or parenting- reading is vital for every child. Books stimulate a child’s imagination and expands their understanding of the world. It develops language and listening skills that are crucial to their academic and emotional success.
And while we are at it…. reading is not just for kids! Adults benefit from reading daily too! Grab a good book and let’s get to reading!