It’s October! Time for a new season . . . and who doesn’t love fall? Much of nature reminds us of our lives, and certainly the changing of seasons is a part of life. What changes does the fall season usher in for you and your family?
When I was homeschooling our four children, October was a month that I might describe as “the calm before the storm”. My son played sports year-round, but fall-ball demanded less and resulted in a more relaxed season. Our girls participated in a classical choir, so by November we found ourselves busy with extra practices in preparation for December performances. But October felt settled. After a hot summer in Sacramento, California, we welcomed the cooler days by enjoying hot drinks and baked goods. (My other name was “Mrs. Cookie Monster” . . . no joke! Oh to have a houseful of children so I could bake cookies to my heart’s content.)
During this “settled” month, we enjoyed routine . . . routine that included reading together. In fact, during the years that I homeschooled an “early reader”, instead of mommy reading to her children for naptime, my “early reader” ended up reading to mommy for naptime. I can’t count the number of times I fell asleep as one of my young children read to me. Typically, my nap only lasted for 5-10 min., but the settled pace allowed me to enjoy a catnap nonetheless.
Of course, with a range of ages in the home, older children had their own reading to tackle, but we often enjoyed time for reading aloud altogether. This is a truly magical time for families, but it can also feel burdensome, so let’s consider how to speak life into family read-aloud time.
I won’t worry so much about WHAT we are reading together; I’ll just make an effort to regularly read together with my children.
I’ll be careful not to rush our reading time together. Instead, I’ll let the children engage in the story reading . . . if they wish to.
Together we can enjoy learning new words and meeting new friends.
I’ll allow my children to ponder the “whys” in our story:
Why did Susie cry?
Why do you like this story? Or not?
Instead of rushing to finish the book, I’ll model quality reading so my children learn how to read well and so my children enjoy our read aloud time together.
WHEN we enter an extra busy season in our lives, I will extend grace to myself if we don’t get to read aloud as often.
Each family dynamic is unique, so I encourage you to find a time and place that works well for your family to enjoy some read-aloud time: around the dining room table as everyone enjoys mealtime together; on the comfy sectional where each person can sink into the cushions; on mom and dad’s big bed piled high with soft pillows; on a picnic blanket outside enjoying some of those home-baked cookies with milk. Get creative. Your children might even want to plan the setting for read-aloud time. Take pictures to remember the fun, and even the chaos. A little here and a little there; it all adds up to quality family time, experiencing one of the greatest gifts of life: READING!
Speaking life,
Kris C. krisspeakslife@gmail.com