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Kathryn
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This is a spin off of my other post about capturing my son's interests so I thought I'd start a new topic since this question is going in another direction. I know read alouds are covered in such great depth here but I haven't seen this specifically in a post yet (may be I just haven't read far enough back).
Over my children's lives, we've always done the typical read aloud at bedtime in a 1-1 while we lay down with them before lights out. I/we have never done any other read alouds like what is discussed esp. with each other or group or family etc.
So, my question is...what does this "look like"? I mean, are the children expected to just sit and listen either next to me, on the floor etc? Are there "rules" like no grabbing at the book from me? What about my daughter that wants to interrupt and ask numerous questions throughout and then that leaves her brother to start losing interest? Should there be family and/or 1-1 read alouds? I guess...how does YOUR family do read alouds?
Thanks,
:-)
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Kathryn in TX
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Mary G
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We do two kinds of read-alouds:
1. me with the kids during the "school day" -- usually a couple of different books (subject specific) or just a fun read-aloud. I have the 3 little ones ranged around me ... playing or cuddling or coloring or whatever, as long as it's quiet and they're listening. Questions pop up as do discussions about other books or things we've done ... all very organic, if you know what I mean.
2. dh with the kids after dinner and before bed. Usually he's got them cuddled up on the bed with him and he reads a chapter book to them. It's usually just a fun book that they want to read -- often a repeat as they love books like those by vanStockum, etc. Dh usually has them pretty quiet -- waits till they've brushed their teeth and gotten in their pjs ... very different from my read-aloud.
Does that help?
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Marcia
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I see MaryG. has no toddlers. our read alouds look like mommy getting crawled over and jumped upon while she reads to everyone. Daddy crys uncle when it's time for bedtime to read aloud. He doesn't like being jumped on during book time. He'd rather save that for wrestling time. :)
I read aloud at nap time and also in the morning. I tend to stay awake better. I nod off when I read at night to them. I might be turning into my grandmother.
The little 'uns stay more focused when I have book with pictures, but the olders (7 and 10) like chapter books that we read just a chapter a day.
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Mackfam
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I think there's a romantic, idealized notion that some of us sit cuddled up on the couch with precious, wee faces surrounding mom in rapt attention. That does happen...occasionally...but more often than not our read-alouds look like this....
:: boys for some reason need to be upside down doing a headstand on the couch to listen. I don't know why.
:: fidgety, tactile, active, restless children benefit from doing something active while listening. I've had GREAT success with handing out a small ball of beeswax to squish - clay would work, those squishy stress-balls would work too, but they'd quickly become a missile here, so I've limited it to beeswax. My daughter likes to illustrate or color as I'm reading. Something that keeps the hands busy, but doesn't engage the brain.
:: mealtimes and teatimes are good reading times. A mouth full of yummies is less likely to interrupt.
:: have a small basket of special toys for littles during read-aloud time - little jars or containers with lids to snap on and off...strange but safe gadgets from the kitchen drawer...hairbrush...small container of wipes for "cleaning up"...Montessori scoop and sort materials you find at thrift stores or around the house.
:: Set a few simple to follow rules...we don't interrupt mommy unless someone is bleeding...mommy answers questions at the end of a story...no grabbing books - if you can't see please say so politely...
:: My kids LOVE to be read to, but we enjoy a variety of locations...the couch...a quilt in the sunshine...make a tent out of pillows and blankets and read in the tent...surrounded by special candles reading in a thunderstorm. Just little things to make the read-aloud special.
Some days there are just a lot of interruptions. This morning was one. I'm reading St. Benedict: Hero of the Hills to the children. It is decidedly over and above the 4 yo (Peanut) and 16 month old (Doodlebug). They can come and go as they please, they like to sit with me for picture books. Well, today the baby was banging a wooden block on the window and singing while the 4yo was bouncing under my desk on Rody, the purple pony...all while I was trying to read. This is exactly what my read aloud looked like this morning. I'm just being honest...
Start reading...
...interruption...Peanut bounces vigorously and is actually surprised when he bounces into the top of my desk....settle him and redirect...read....
...interruption...Doodlebug is banging so happily and so loudly on the window with the wooden blocks that I cannot hear myself talk...move baby and blocks to hall with upside down laundry basket...read again...
...interruption...Peanut removes laundry basket from happily drumming Doodlebug to use it as a football helmet and Doodlebug loudly protests...gently remove football basket, return to baby, offer Peanut a coloring book with crayons...read...
...interruption...Doodlebug decides she must nurse now or she will waste into a pile of nothingness, but she is also convinced that she needs to simultaneously visit with others in the room - a physical feat I am not capable of while retaining modesty...nurse for a moment, hug, grab a cup of juice...read...again...
...finally settle Doodlebug into a pile of soft blocks and finish the chapter.
whew!!!!
The kids still loved the reading today, though! 
What I'm trying to say is that I think reading aloud anytime is valuable and worth the effort! Some days will be full of interruptions...some day might offer rapt attention. It's all good. Good luck, Kathryn!
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MaryM
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Mackfam wrote:
| This is exactly what my read aloud looked like this morning. I'm just being honest... |
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You sure made me smile  ...sounds a lot like a typical household read-a-loud.
Kathryn, I would also recommend just given different times of day and settings a go. It's going to be different for everyone and you'll find a groove that fits you best. Ours has looked all kinds of different ways during the years.
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JodieLyn
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When desperate I have given each child a spot to sit on until things calm down.. once on my king size bed.. child on each corner and baby in lap, or a throw rug is handy also having 4 corners to seperate children by.. this helps get things calmed down for a moment and children interested (which I knew they would be once their attention had motivation to switch).. usually after the first bit things calm down enough to relax the seperation.. mostly this happens when they can't seem to leave each other alone and/or decide that its really time for play wrestling  
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joann10
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Mackfam wrote:
:: boys for some reason need to be upside down doing a headstand on the couch to listen. I don't know why.
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This is how mine like to listen to read-alouds!
Sometimes we have 4 kids lined up on their heads across the couch.....
I find it is important for my littler kids--3,4,7,9---to have something quiet in thier hands during listening time. Magnet sets and colorforms seem to be the most helpful right now.
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Patty
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Our youngest is 9 now, but we have seven so we've had lots of years with babies and toddlers.
I have both wiggly children and those who like to sit and listen. I tried hard to choose books that would capture their attention.
For the "wiggly" ones who have to always be doing something, I let mine play with Legos or K'nex on the floor, or have paper and pencil or crayons for doodling. It helped quite a bit. They did listen and could tell you what was happening in the story even though their hands were occupied with something else. I think, for some children, it helps them to listen BETTER. Babies were often nursing. We did have our interruptions, but my kids have many fond memories of books read aloud--and we still do it--so I am glad we persevered.
Happy reading!
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JennGM
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It only takes two children to make the fond memories of read-alouds like Jen describes. It happens here, too.
Read-alouds aren't usually scheduled, here. They happen when the toddler backs into my lap with a book in his hands, or when the 5 year old starts to read a book and then we read it together, then another, then another. And sometimes my son reads aloud to me. 
Nighttime is our favorite reading time. When I read I spend a lot of time with older ds; it's our special time.
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JuliaT
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We have done read alouds a gazillion different ways. It has been a lot of trial and error. With the ages that I have now, this is what our read alouds look like: we do family read alouds with kids playing quietly nearby with toys, colouring or doing a craft. We have not always been able to do it this way but we have evolved to this and it is working very well. Our read aloud time varies according to season. Right now, for summer, we read two or three times a day, especially if it is a page-turner. We also, at times, read during lunch time.
I also read to each child. This way my youngest can still enjoy the favourites of her age group and my oldest can hear books that are a bit beyond her age group. This has worked very well for us.
Read alouds are something that evolves through trial and error. Pick a time or way of doing it and if it doesn't work, then go back to the drawing board and think up something else.
I, too, have an interrupter. This drives me crazy. I was telling her that it was rude to interrupt the reader but then I thought that that wasn't fair to her because she has legitimate questions and comments that should be listened to. So I let her ask away and pray for patience the entire time. 
Blessings,
Julia
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Nique
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You ask good questions Kathryn! Keep 'em coming
I learn alot from your threads and from everyone who contributes:):)
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Angie Mc
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I find it helpful to peg read alouds to times when I'm already sitting...nursing, eating, driving (books on tape ).
Love,
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Erin
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Not only do my boys like to sit on their heads but as everybody wants to sit next to mum on the lounge I have a child draped on the top behind my head. That can hurt, not my favourite position.
Great memories though, just takes some perseverance until everyone settles.
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Willa
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Snacktime can work, too -- some apple slices or crackers can keep little ones busy nearby for a few minutes.
We would often start our reading time just as everyone was finishing breakfast, when my kids were younger. Reading aloud while eating is time-hallowed by the Benedictine tradition!
Coloring and drawing always worked for my kids. I would buy the notebooks that go on sale in August at Target, and my active 5 year old was kept occupied by Dover coloring pages related to the subject we were reading about.
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LucyP
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Usually I read picture books during the day at some point, normally after lunch, and before bed I read a chapter book. DD who is 2 used to shout all the time I read, but now is usually sitting on one side with the odd break to roam around, and at night usually drops off to sleep. DS who is 5 listens intently - he gets to pick the chapter book from the home library of old children's books I have collected. We almost always do it on the sofa, one child per side which works great as we have only the two, and we prefer the cooler months when we can have a quilt snuggled over us too.
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Birdie
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For me it's always been like picking a movie for family movie night, only instead of a movie I pick a book to read out loud. It's that simple.
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ekbell
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We call readalouds "couch time" here.
I sit on the couch,they argue about who sits beside me and then I try to read while the littlest bounces on my lap.
Half the time the eight year old is pacing, the five year old and three year olds are fighting and the babe is trying to decide what seems like more fun; grab at the book or nurse. [the ten year old sits in a different chair or listens in from another room altogether!]
When the weather is good we have "couch time" outside! I sit on a blanket and try to keep the pile of books away from the babe while the three year old runs around and the others listen.
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Tina P.
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Mackfam wrote:
I think there's a romantic, idealized notion that some of us sit cuddled up on the couch with precious, wee faces surrounding mom in rapt attention. That does happen...occasionally...but more often than not our read-alouds look like this....
:: boys for some reason need to be upside down doing a headstand on the couch to listen. I don't know why.
:: My daughter likes to illustrate or color as I'm reading. Something that keeps the hands busy, but doesn't engage the brain.
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These posts CRACK ME UP! It reminds me of when I read aloud and my oldest has to do something with his hands constantly even at 14. Mostof the time, he plays with Legos while I read. Building with Legos does engage the brain (and actually, drawing does, too ~ I know MY brain is quite stimulated when I draw), but this kid surprises me continually when I ask him mid-read what I just read to find out whether the Lego building is taking over and he answers practically word-for-word.
I, too, have the climbing toddlers, the noise-making infant, the constant interruptions. It's all for fun and the kids love the time together and the special books we read.
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Kathryn
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I actually attempted this and the funniest part is my oldest daughter was the one in the middle of the floor with her head down like she was getting into position for a headstand. My son sat quietly in the window watching the guy mow next door. This is COMPLETELY opposite from what I would have expected. My oldest DD is the one who *LOVES* traditional school and sitting at a desk and busy work etc. etc. and my son is the biggest reason I've decided to homeschool to do something different. When I asked my daughter later why she was trying to stand on her head she said "oh...I was trying to concentrate". I laughed at the irony of it all.
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TracyFD
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I am still rolling on the floor over Jennifer's description and breathing a sigh of relief at the same time! My kids do THE SAME THINGS but add in the daily fight over who gets to sit by mommy and they refuse to get up to do something like turn off the stereo for fear of losing their spot. Honestly, my fuse is often short at this point because in my mind, this should be the most pleasant part of the day!
One more suggestion here that sometimes works in our home is to play "reading machine". Mommy reads as long as all able children are folding laundry. Folding stops - mommy stops reading. Might be worth a try!
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: What does a read aloud "look like"?
