One of the new routines I implemented this year was to have a time set aside for quiet reading. Like many new routines that we start at the beginning of a new school year, there’s a time to stop and adjust. Structuring quiet reading time so that it works for me has taken some thought. So far it’s going well, but I have had to make some adjustments because things were not working as smoothly as I had hoped.
Figuring Out Quiet Reading Time
I do quiet reading time first thing in the morning once breakfast has been cleaned up. That means everyone is awake, including my one-year-old. I could do reading time when he naps. If I did that, I could read as well, but since doing math, phonics, and everything else goes smoothly when he is napping, I have chosen to do quiet reading time while he is awake.
Some people do quiet reading time in the afternoon, but our afternoons look different each day. Doing it in the morning was what worked best since I could be consistent with it. Consistency is a powerful tool in homeschooling. Structuring quiet reading time around the same time has worked well since everyone expects it.
Doing Quiet Reading Time With Everyone
Originally, I was reading my own book while my older boys read books of their own choosing, and my younger ones listened to stories on the Yoto player. This kind of worked, but it also kind of didn’t. An audiobook didn’t keep my youngest one’s attention. I was also interrupted a lot while I was trying to read, which was frustrating. None of this should have been a surprise for me. In the end, I began grabbing a few picture books, and making it a reading time for my younger crew.
This wasn’t how I wanted reading time to go. I wanted to sit down and have my own reading time. I still read. In fact, I feel rather sad if I go a few days without reading so it can be hard to not read. However, I think since my kids are little and require great care, it works best if that reading time is devoted to them. Plus, my four-year-old is enjoying all the classics I read to her older brothers when they were her age. I don’t want her to miss out! Structuring quiet reading time in this way has made it more peaceful and fruitful.
Different Stages of Life with Quiet Reading Time
Recently, my one-year-old has been grabbing books and sitting down and looking at them. It sometimes seems like there’s little fruit with taking the time to read aloud to my kids, but when I see them drawn to books, especially after it has taken me lots of time to find good picture books and read them aloud, then I know it’s worth it.
When quiet reading time is winding down, I pick up my book and read to myself for a small bit. I do reading time outside for my younger two since it’s still warm in the afternoon here. I don’t read for long, but I do want my kids to see me reading even if it’s for two minutes while they run around outside. Quiet reading time is going to look different depending on your kids’ ages. I am in a busy season, so I make it work for all of us. When they are all older, I can see myself reading for an hour, sipping some tea, while my kids read. But that’s a long way off.
Figuring Out to Structure Homeschool Routines
One of the things about homeschooling is that if you ask ten different homeschoolers how to do something related to homeschooling, you get ten different answers. Everyone has an opinion about how to do something. However, this leaves to newer homeschooler feeling confused. How should I structure my day in the morning? What should reading time look like with four small children?
What I have found is that asking another homeschooler for advice is a way to get an idea. It doesn’t mean I have to copy someone and do it their way, but it does create a conversation where an idea might help me. I rarely take anyone’s ideas just as they are. I usually have to adapt it to make it work for me. It’s the same with podcasts where I hear ideas from other homeschoolers.
Gathering ideas and routines that work for you is like sifting sand: you are left with the pebbles and that’s what works well for you in your homeschooling. It’s freeing when you figure what makes your days happier and smoother for you. I don’t have to copy how someone else homeschools. I do what works for me.
Final Thoughts
I don’t assess my kids with oral reading fluency like a school would. It’s a great tool to figure out who is improving and who isn’t when you have 20 some kids to keep track of. I don’t have graphs that show my kids’ progress, but since I hear them read often, I can tell that having 30-45 minutes a day to read is improving their reading abilities. I have not really focused on writing yet. Right now my focus is on reading aloud, having my kids read a lot and listen to audiobooks a lot, and talking about what we read. We will tackle writing later on down the road.
Be sure to read my first post about quiet reading time.