Just kidding – there is no dark side! At Scholastic we believe deeply in the value of reading aloud beginning at birth (as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics) and continuing even after kids can read fluently on their own. In fact, in our Kids and Family Reading Report, we found that 83% of kids enjoy being read to, and the top reason is because they find read-aloud time to be a chance to spend quality time with parents.
But with the commitment to reading aloud to my daughter (most) every day, there are funny little things that crop up. As with most aspects of parenting, it’s rarely easy, it’s always complicated!
Below are some of the sticky aspects of reading aloud every day:
The Book Management
Managing my daughter’s books is like managing her clothes, which is to say, I can’t. There is a constant stream of both coming in, and very rarely does anything go out (unless I mobilize to donate). My husband and I both work in publishing, so we get books from work. We get books as gifts. We even buy them. They’re everywhere. And because my daughter is 3 and unwavering in her commitment to certain routines, we read stories on the living room couch…only. That means that a large selection of her heavy-rotation books live next to the couch, where I have rigged up on a precarious plant stand bookshelf (for want of an actual, unoccupied bookshelf).
The Repeaters
Every parent knows this one. These are the books where – in the face of an entire shelf filled with options – a child will choose the same single title for days, weeks or months on end. Right now we have been reading one The Cat in the Hat early reader every night for eight weeks and counting. By this point, my reading of this book is pretty robotic; I have memorized the appropriate read-aloud inflections and special voices, leaving my mind free to think about other things.
The Routine
Routine is the centerpiece of toddler life. They crave it, and it helps everyone in the family keep their sanity. However, I have found that we have gotten into a routine where we always read aloud before bed, but less often at other times during the day. Right now, my daughter really associates reading with bedtime. Sometimes when I’ve suggested it mid-day she’s said, “But it’s not time for a nap!” One of my goals as she gets older is to increase our read-aloud time so that it’s a fun anytime activity, and not exclusively a before-bed activity.
When she was a baby, it was easier: I read a book or two, she goes to sleep, and we’re all set. As she gets older, it’s like everything else wherein we try to strike a balance between her wants and needs and our own. But the nice thing is that the experience helps us learn about her, and about parenting in general.
If you need some ideas on great read-aloud titles, check out these Scholastic reading lists and guides for inspiration. So I say, embrace the dark side! And let me know where your mind wanders during your 4,000th adventure with The Cat in the Hat.
