Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

This topic has 14 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 10 months ago by Anonymous.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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June 23, 2013 at 5:07 am
Anonymous
Inactive
I think that I sort of asked a similar question before but I am looking for more responses about this.
My kids like to read lots of books, and they are not in the habit of savoring what they read – not sure how to work on that.
Should I put away all the books in the fall and only keep out the books that are assigned? That sounds harsh, but I think that we are on information overload in our home.
June 23, 2013 at 7:28 am
Corie
Participant
I have a similar issue. My daugher has already read all of the books I had planned for next year. And there were a lot of them!!
June 23, 2013 at 11:55 am
Kayla
Participant
I would try maybe putting away all the “school” books and giving them each a pile for free reading of quality literature. AO has a
Free reads list for each grade level
June 23, 2013 at 12:13 pm
missceegee
Participant
Yes, I hide books, not really hide, but declare off-limits. I keep my school books put away by year and my kids can read anything below their assigned year whenever they wish, but school reads are on my time schedule and are to be savored slowly. We have a very larger personal library from which they can read whatever they like except assigned school books.
June 23, 2013 at 1:27 pm
stuckersr
Participant
I usually separate the books too, or my son will read them. I hate to tell him NOT to read a book, so I’m going to just hide them from now on. He goes through them so quickly that I worry that he’s just skimming, or even flat out skipping parts. I may be wrong, but I dont see how you can enjoy a book when you go through it as quickly as he seems to.
June 23, 2013 at 4:15 pm
Rachel White
Participant
I do what missceegee does. Also, I require specific free-reading books and audio books that they must read/listen to through the year.
June 23, 2013 at 4:29 pm
Benita
Participant
I, too, require free readings all year and more so in the summer. That is when they are unleashed on anything on one set of bookshelves and a large basket at home. Also, there is the library readings they do. Kindle reads must be pre-approved by me. I use AO’s free reading suggestions, Sonlight’s book lists, and The Hand that Rocks the Cradle book list by Nathanel Bluedorn for ideas for books to purchase and stock up on that shelving set and for borrowing from the library.
I keep books specific to the coming year or term’s readings on another bookshelf. Look but don’t read, I tell them!
June 23, 2013 at 9:13 pm
Anonymous
Inactive
Thanks for all the responses. Very helpful.
stuckersr,
My dd has the same issue. Last year I had her read aloud to me every day for about 15 minutes and this seemed to help. I talked to Sonya at a recent conference and she suggested to pre read a passage and make note of a few main themes and then have your child read the same passage and then quiz them on those few items.
I am planning on doing this next year – not sure how often. We also talked about WHY it is important not to skim – this seemed to help some too.
Any thoughts anyone else on skimming?
June 23, 2013 at 9:25 pm
Benita
Participant
I, myself, have been guilty of skimming or as I like to refer to it – gulping instead of savoring a book. I am always sorry later. Just as when I over eat!! I have had to discipline myself. I think for some, it is an issue that they will have to work through.
Maybe you could make it a “habit” to cultivate with her. Is there a habit in Laying Down Rails that might somewhat apply that you could work on over the course of 8 – 12 weeks? This may be a way to help her rid herself of that habit by replacing it with another in her reading. If you use the format in Laying Down Rails you would be doing so in a positive way – not “alway telling” as Charlotte said. It will help your daughter to develop her own resolve in this area.
Also, I have found that “narrating” what I am reading either to my husband or with a friend,
( we pick a book every few months to read and then meet for lunch to discuss) I slow down and savor the book. So be sure there is a lot of narration going on. That accountability may slow her down. It has certainly helped me.
June 23, 2013 at 11:09 pm
Anonymous
Inactive
Yes, I think that it is a self discipline issue – I have the same struggles.
I just bought the Laying Down the Rails companion, already have the main one and plan to use the system this fall – great idea. I am sure that there is something that will apply in there.
Alicia
June 24, 2013 at 12:57 am
Sara B.
Participant
I read very quickly, so does my dd. But we don’t skim or skip parts. We are just fast readers. We can devour books while still savoring them. And we enjoy them enough to usually read them over and over, too. (I do slow down on the more difficult books or things I am actually studying – but free read types are “free” for a reason.) That said, I do separate school books from their “go at it” books. School books get savored slowly according to the schedule, free reads I don’t care how fast or how many they read. They are still good books, and a voracious reading appetite will not be squelched in my house.
June 24, 2013 at 2:17 am
Karen
Participant
This is slightly OT for this thread….but a couple of you mentioned read alouds during snack. Do you not snack? *L* This seems like a stupid question. I usually have one of my daughters prepare the snack, then they eat it. I find myself using the “quiet” (relative – but their mouths are full, so there’s usually less noise!) to do some quick computer work or laundry or prepare for what comes next.
So, if you’re reading aloud during snack, when do you sneak in your prep (gather books, print notebooking pages, switch over laundry, etc.)?

June 24, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Anonymous
Inactive
sklong,
My kid all have blood sugar issues that they inherited from my dh’s family (hypoglycemia and diabetes) so snacks are important for us.
Have you tried audio books during lunch or snack time?
Sara,
Do you notice a difference in narration quality when your kids read faster? Or are they just able to take information in a bit faster?
June 24, 2013 at 2:43 pm
Benita
Participant
I read during lunch and snack. I eat before or after.I don’t know, somehow I just find time to squeeze the other things in. You have a captive audience during meal times. I say take advantage of that.
June 24, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Anonymous
Inactive
If you let someone else read to them (someone else meaning the person on the CD or computer http://www.booksshouldbefree.com) then that could free up your time to do prep,etc.
For us, audio books have been a big time saver. I still read aloud to my kids but use these as well.
Another thought is that my dh strives to give me about 2 hrs of prep time per week. Sometimes life happens and I don’t get that but sure makes things go smoother when I do 🙂
HTH!