One Home, One Book?

I just participated in a Screen-Free Week challenge from an awesome Usborne rep. A couple of nights a week at snack time my daughters pick a few Sesame Street songs on YouTube to watch. Last week we read books every night instead. Because of this my one-year-old daughter was able to listen to the paper page books that I read with my three-year-old daughters throughout the day. She laughed. She followed along. We showed her things in the book together. She is excluded from many activities during the day because of her love of eating small things (and ripping paper). This was one way to make her feel connected and show her sisters that she can be included.

Can this be duplicated for a first and fifth grade set of siblings? Yes, it can.  Right now, many schools are proving that they can with the One School, One Book from ReadtoThem.org, and this can be implemented at home.

I challenge you to try reading the same book to all of your kids. It gives them something else to talk about and another way to connect with each other and to you. It gives them more ideas to use when they play and helps them all feel included. Also, it builds their vocabulary and literacy skills.

I know. It's spring sports time. The musical is in full swing. There is a way to fit it in. It can be brief. Try 5-15 minutes at snack time, right after school, bedtime, an audio book in the car, before they are allowed to watch TV, before baseball practice, after soccer practice, Tuesdays and Thursdays, etc. If you want to make it happen, you can.

It's worth it. My three-year-olds comment and incorporate the books into their play. They make connections through the day. They like to pretend they are the bunnies from A Tale of Peter Rabbit. They pretend that some of their toys are the tuna fish from Swimmy. We make references and connections to the books often. They have their own jokes based on the books. They use words that we normally only read and do not use in everyday conversation. My husband has heard most of the stories too, so he can join in with the conversation. My one-year-old recognizes the stories and reaches for her favorites. When they are able to listen to chapter books, we will incorporate those too.

It's going to look different based on the ages, but I challenge you to give it a try. Kids can listen to books that are beyond their reading level. You could read the same book to your first grader as your seventh grader. They'll have a bond they normally wouldn't have without it.

Here are some chapter book ideas from Read to Them.org.

Need help picking a book? Email me, PM me on FB, or drop a comment below.