| Author | |
domchurch3
Forum Pro
Joined: July 12 2007
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 245
|
| Posted: Feb 08 2008 at 1:44pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
This might sound like a silly question but how do you engage your 5 year old in conversation and discussion about books? When my daughter was a wee nursing infant, I read a book that said, "Fill their minds with great literature, read to them while they play with legos, while you're nursing, etc." So I did that. I would not ask questions or talk about the book, I'd just read them to her to fill her mind. I can't come up with anything to say about the books were reading. The only time I can come up with something is if we're reading one of the Five In A Row titles. If I ask her a question like, "What do you think is going to happen?" She always responds the same, "Let's read and find out."
Any help would be appreciated,
Elizabeth
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
mellyrose
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 12 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 939
|
| Posted: Feb 08 2008 at 4:11pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I try to offer things outside of reading -- for instance, right now we're reading an abridged version of Call of the Wild. I found some coloring pages of sled dog teams for the boys to color. I ask them to draw a picture of their favorite scene so far. I ask them to draw a picture of what they think is going to happen next. I ask if they can use their stuffed dogs to act out a scene for me.
I'm also kinda big on "feelings" I guess. As I've been thinking about this, I realize I ask "So, how do you think Buck feels that he's lead dog?" type of questions.
I also ask them questions about if they were one of the characters, like "If you just bought a sled dog team, what kind of things would you need to know?" and "If you were going on a trip like that, what kind of supplies would you pack?"
I also don't ask right after we've read. Lots of times we'll be in the car and I'll ask the questions, or I'll give them coloring sheets in the morning so they've had time to process and it also helps them remember more.
__________________
Melanie in AZ
Colin (11/00), Nate (05/02), Lydia (04/07)
My Little Patch of Sunshine
Pictures of our Life
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
missionfamily
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 10 2007
Location: Louisiana
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1859
|
| Posted: Feb 08 2008 at 10:01pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
How about modeling beeswax? If you ask her to model something from the story, then you can ask her what it is, why she chose it, what she remembers about it from the story, etc...we even talked about the terms setting, character, and plot, and my guys tell me where their creations fit. Beeswax has been a godsend while trying to read and converse with three busy boys, a busy toddler boy, and a nursing baby boy.
__________________
Colleen
dh Greg
mom to Quinn,Gabriel, Brendan,Evan, Kolbe, and sweet St. Bryce
Footprints on the Fridge
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
lapazfarm
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 21 2005
Location: Alaska
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6082
|
| Posted: Feb 09 2008 at 8:27am | IP Logged
|
|
|
mellyrose wrote:
I ask if they can use their stuffed dogs to act out a scene for me.
|
|
|
Melanie, that is such a coincidence! My 6yo dd and I are reading Balto together and just on a whim I asked her to get out her sled dog figures and act out the relay as we go!She loves it and can't wait to read/do more!
I think there have been some great suggestions so far. With my children I rarely ask for a formal discussion of our readings. It's more like, when we are done with a book (or midway, whatever) we will just spontaneously talk about things that were funny or interesting or sad. They always have questions and I try to answer them or help them find the answers. The only time I ask more formally is if it is for a narration, which we do rarely at that age.
__________________
Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: Feb 09 2008 at 3:44pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Like a lot of others, it seems, I'm not sure I try to engage my little children (4&5) as to watch them for their responses to books we read. One of our perennial toy resources is a little basket of plastic animals from various places (like the dollar store), and they get called into service to "play out" adventures from Narnia or Noah's Ark or whatever we've been reading. I also keep crayons, paints, and paper available all the time, both during reading times and otherwise, because a lot of our artwork tends to be related in one way or another to what we're reading.
In fact, I can generally tell if something has been a good book for my kids by the amount of time they spend "playing" it, "coloring" it, etc. If they want to talk about it with me, that's great, but at that age I don't try to set up deliberate conversations about books, or to draw them into a me-led narration. I find that they do this enough on their own, without any prompting from me, which is really what I want to encourage.
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
pixilated_momma
Forum Pro
Joined: Sept 04 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 192
|
| Posted: Feb 20 2008 at 2:28pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
At this age, a five-year-old can share some some thoughts, but they are just learning to put it all together, so our talks about reading is very light.
Mostly, when we do a read-aloud, my DS5 will color and then pipe in now and then questions. Or if he's on my lap (yes, he's a big boy but still cuddling his mommy, YAY!) I ask him very basic questions (to build up his confidence) then ask him slightly more elaborate questions. He has problems talking about his own feelings, let alone someone else's, so the questions are like: "What happened to the peach tree?" to "What insects were with James?" to "Do you think James feels happy to leave? Or sad? ... Why?" It's almost like leading the witness in court, but he needs some prodding to put the words together ... That's just how it is with Miguel.
Also, I try to tie in what we've read with life itself. Like, if we're at the supermarket, I'll say, "Oh, a peach. This is much smaller than the one in 'James and the Giant Peach.'" And that'll spark conversation. Or he'll tell his daddy what he's read.
Mostly, I just observe his play, though. Kids almost always act out what they are seeing or learning. 
My DD7 at five was talking nonstop  , so it depends on the child. 
__________________
Veronica Maria
Paper Dali, my art blog
Sometimes Bailey, my creativity blog
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: How Do You Engage Your 5 year old?
