The better a child reads, the more he will read. The more a child reads, the better her reading skills will be.
But why does reading matter?
Better readers tend to enjoy more academic success in every subject, higher incomes as adults, and even better relationships. Encouraging our children to become better readers should be a primary goal in our homeschools. I’m passionate about children not just learning to read, but becoming avid readers. I’ve written about encouraging reluctant readers here and here and I’ve authored curriculum to help homeschool parents build better readers and writers.
But first, I want to give you some ideas you can use today to help your child read well and love it for life.
This post is in a series of posts called 5 Ways to Help Your Child Become a Better Reader. Of all the posts in the series, this is the most critical. Giving your child a steady diet of delightful fiction and nonfiction is one of the best things you can do as a parent. Fortunately, providing good books doesn’t have to be expensive. The library is free, many Kindle titles and other online books are free, and friends’ books are free to borrow.
Book Choice Warnings
Before I share 6 ways to find books your child will enjoy, I want to give you a couple pieces of advice about book choice. First, remember that your child may have much different tastes than you did as a child. Insisting that your child read specific titles you loved isn’t the best way to encourage independent reading. I will share more about this in a future post, but for now, allow your child the right of refusal for books that are to be read for pleasure.
My second piece of advice is to treat books like you would movies or video games: research them before buying them or checking them out for your child. I’m not suggesting you read every book before your child. I have never had time for that! But when it comes to titles you’re not familiar with, it’s good practice to review them. I have been absolutely horrified by the content of some children’s and teen’s books I’ve looked over lately. Unfortunately, in an effort to get kids reading, some publishers have been giving kids what they think they want, rather than what is best. Book awards and five-star reviews are no guarantee that a title is appropriate for your child. A quick way to avoid serving your child the equivalent of “junk food” in a book is to read the 1-star reviews on Amazon. These reviews are usually by parents who will give you the objectionable content, so you can make an informed decision.
6 Ways to Find Books Your Child Will Enjoy
1. Search for titles similar to those your child has enjoyed.
Whether your child read a book himself or enjoyed one you read aloud, you now have a key to finding more great titles. Here’s how.
Find titles with Amazon
Enter a book title into Amazon’s search and scrolling down a bit will pull up a list of books customers have also purchased. My boys have all been crazy about Calvin & Hobbes. Checking the other books customers purchased for this title includes more Calvin & Hobbes titles as expected. But continuing to click the right arrow gives me these suggestions to consider.
Find Titles Through Your Library’s Catalog
I searched for Charlotte’s Web through my library’s online catalog and got these recommendations with a reason why each title was selected.
Find Titles with Read Kiddo Read
While the database isn’t nearly as broad as Amazon’s, Read Kiddo Read also suggests titles based on books your child loves. Here are more recommendations based on Charlotte’s Web.
2. Search for books by movies your child has loved or wants to see.
Even if you don’t enjoy reading the book after you watch the movie, your child might! Did your child love the Minions movie? Maybe that was just me. 🙂 Look at this cute junior novel to entice your young reader.
Is a new movie coming out that your child is dying to see? Get the book and have him read it before seeing the movie.
3. Search by age / grade level and gender.
Find titles with Amazon
These were the top two results on Amazon books for 2nd grade boys. Note the 5-star reviews! Books in series are an excellent choice. If your child likes one, he will want to read the rest.
Find titles with Goodreads
The same search on Goodreads produced two lists that others are voting on, giving you even more social proof.
Find titles with Pinterest
Searching for 2nd grade boys’ books produces individual pins like this one as well as boards on the topic that are worth checking out.
There are a number of books that recommend titles for your child by age and sometimes by gender.
3. Search by topic
What does your child spend the most time doing or talking about? Think your child spends way too much time watching TV and playing video games? There are books about these topics too! Check out these titles from a search for Minecraft, for example:
Use the Guys Read Site to Find Books on Topics Boys Will Love
I love that the Guys Read website makes reading seem macho. 🙂 Go over the topic list with your son. Anything sound interesting? This is just a sample.
Find Books with Get Epic
Epic is a free reading website (and app) for educators (the company is open to homeschoolers gaining access) that asks about your child’s interests and then makes book suggestions. The beauty of this website (besides the fact that there are audio books supporting text) is that kids can check out many titles quickly. Here’s a sample of recommended titles:
4. Find Titles That Meet Kids’ Needs
Kids, like adults, are motivated to read for the information they need. Are you taking a trip? Give your child a book on your destination and ask them to decide what they would like to see most. Are you expecting a new baby? Try a book on babies or being a big sister. Would your child like to earn some extra money? Find a book on businesses for kids or on the skills they will need to develop for that business. Would your child like a pet? Suggest a book on the care of that pet before you bring it home.
Does your child find reading difficult? There are books that address that need too! Check out the list on Reading Rockets. This is a sample:
5. Ask Your Child’s Friends for Their Favorites
This is my favorite tip. If your child has a friend who loves to read, ask him for his favorite titles in front of your child. Ask him why he likes those books and ask if you could borrow them, if he owns them. Having boys (in particular) share their love for books is really powerful. But my daughter has loved sharing books with her friend, too.
6. Spend Time at the Library
Your local librarian knows what books are popular with kids and should be able to recommend titles based on your child’s interests. Many libraries put award-winning books in prominent locations. Check this site for 2015 award winners. Just remember my warning from above!
But even without asking for help, your child is bound to find something of interest to her if you spend enough time around the books (and not at the computer station). Whether you just let your child peruse the children’s section until something catches his eye or you participate in a scheduled book talk, the library is the perfect place to find great books.
It’s important to note that audio books are books, too. They build vocabulary and aid word recognition in printed books. Ask your librarian how to access audiobooks online if they they have them available.
Do you have any other tips for helping your children find books they would enjoy? Please share them.
Have you ever asked your kids to write and heard groans in response? I have! That is until I started encouraging my kids to write funny stuff. Suddenly writing was fun!
Humorous writing not only motivates reluctant writers, but aids memory and learning. Kids (and adults) remember funny material better.
The first step is to give your kids permission to use humor. Even the blandest writing prompts can be hilarious when young writers feel free to let their funny creative juices flow.
The second step is to give them prompts that are related to what is going on with them. I did my master’s thesis in psychology on humor and learned the obvious: relatable humor is funny! Depressed people will laugh at depression jokes, for example. So give the kids writing prompts about fall in the fall! Can’t come up with anything? No worries! I’ve got you covered. You can either use the writing prompts that follow in your homeschool or classroom verbally or you can use the colorful printables with handwriting lines available to subscribers.
The third step is to be flexible with the form of writing. Allow your students to dictate their writing or type it depending on their level. By the way, I don’t think there’s an age range for these prompts.
Funny Fall Writing Prompts
If I were a leaf, I would like to fall on_____________because________________.
Jack Frost is a mythical character who is said to create the frost we see on windows. Name and describe a character who is responsible for leaves changing color in the fall.
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper from Johnny Appleseed, admitting that you didn’t exactly plant all the apple trees, even though that’s what everyone says.
Write a paper to convince people that your favorite kind of apple is the best.
Write a story about a squirrel who thought it was spring when it was fall.
Write about what happened when a horse who was allergic to hay pulled a wagon for a hay ride.
Create a recipe that includes pumpkin that really shouldn’t include it.
If you were a talking jack-o-lantern, what would you say?
Write a poem about fall the way Eeyore of Winnie-the-Pooh would write it (it doesn’t have to rhyme).
Write a poem about fall the way Tigger of Winnie-the-Pooh would write it.
Write a letter to hunters as though you were a turkey wanting to live.
If you served all of your favorite foods for Thanksgiving, what would be on the menu?
Download Your Free Funny Fall Writing Prompts Printables
Can you say that subtitle three times fast? 😉 In the PDF, I share more tips for encouraging your kids to write humorous material. You’ll get a printable page for hand-written work for each prompt. You’ll also automatically receive the winter, spring, and summer versions. If you hate getting email, know that once you subscribe, you can change your preferences to Freebies Only. You’ll only be notified when a post describes a new subscriber freebie, which you’ll automatically have access to.
Click the turkey image below, add your email, and the download will automatically arrive. By the way, if you like this material, I would love for you to share it with other teachers and parents you know.
I was provided with a free subscription and was compensated for my time in completing this review. All opinions are my own.
A whopping 45% of 17-year-olds read for fun just once or twice a year. While there are some homeschooled teens who also don’t enjoy reading, there are many more who are avid readers–sometimes to the exclusion of other activities that seem more noteworthy on college applications. Yet reading is by far and away the most valuable skill when it comes to college coursework.
Homeschoolers sometimes have to provide a more detailed syllabus for coursework completed on college applications than students in traditional schools. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to prove that your student has not only read but understood many great works of literature? It could not only support your child’s admission to college, but could be used to support applications for scholarships.
Reading Portfolio Could Help Your Child Get Into College
Reading Portfolio is a new online program that not only keeps track of books your high schooler has read, but verifies that the books have been read. Videos of your student taking quizzes on books read are used to confirm that your student isn’t cheating and are then deleted.
Points are accumulated for passing scores and can even be used to demonstrate exemplary reading using these designations:
This great video explains how the program works:
Benefits Beyond College
Do you have a sneaking suspicion that there is more screen time than reading going on? You could also use Reading Portfolio to verify that your students are reading.
Some readers will be motivated to accumulate points just as though reading WERE a game. You could challenge your child to a reading competition with a prize going to the most prolific reader. If your child isn’t an avid reader, check my post of ideas for getting your kids to read more.
Reading Portfolio is an Affordable Way to Improve Your Child’s College Application
Subscriptions are just $15.95 for a year and $24.95 for ten years. You can try a sample quiz to see how it works. You can start building a reading portfolio when your child turns 13. I wish I had a list of all the books I’ve read. Don’t you?
Let’s face it. Teaching grammar, vocabulary, spelling, handwriting, and composition can take a LOT. OF. TIME.
Even if you love teaching language arts like I do, you don’t have hours and hours to devote to it.
Then there’s the problem of motivating kids. Sure there are a few kids who just can’t wait to get their hands on language arts workbooks, but most kids would rather do chores! Hm. There’s a chore motivator I haven’t tried.
A Quick, Fun Way to Teach Language Arts
Like most of you, I wanted a quick, fun way to teach my kids who range in age. This year mine are in 3rd to 9th grade. I’m happy to report that I found a way!
In less then ten minutes a day, I have seen my children’s language arts skills improve significantly. They remember what they’ve learned, look forward to the lesson, and the curriculum cost me less than $15. Interested? Read on!
I found the book Caught Ya!: Grammar with a Giggle by Jane Bell Kiester on Amazon when I was researching language arts curricula. I was immediately excited about the concept.
Students are told an engaging story typically with one sentence a day. I write the sentence on a white board that they can all see.
I define the new vocabulary word in the sentence and assure them that it is spelled correctly. The students must then write the sentence correctly in their notebooks while I walk around checking their work. If they have made a mistake, I say, “Caught ya!” My kids are very invested in not getting caught as they are writing the sentences with their siblings. When everyone is finished, I ask them to tell me what is wrong with the sentence and we review any spelling errors or grammar rules. Here are some of the benefits of this approach we’ve experienced.
It’s an easy way to correct handwriting problems on the spot. I often make my kids erase improperly formed letters or words that are too close together. And no, I am not being too picky! I only make them correct significant problems.
Handwriting speed increases. The youngers try to keep up with the olders so they can be done. Handwriting speed is very important to a young student’s confidence.
Grammar skills are practically applied. Students who can get every workbook problem correct often can’t translate those skills into editing and writing. Learning where to start a new paragraph is a skill Caught Ya teaches that is rarely learned in workbooks.
The story line and competitive aspect helps students who are less interested in grammar pay attention to it. This has been especially true for my sons. Sometimes they can’t wait to find out who is right about a particular error.
Caught Ya combines the benefits of copywork and editing into one short practice that is more effective than longer workbook lessons.
Are you ready to buy? Wait just a minute.
There are some potential drawbacks to this approach.
The book is written for classroom teachers. A lot of time is spent explaining how to use this approach with a large group of students in and out of class and that doesn’t apply to homeschoolers. I did recommend it to my teacher neighbor, however!
The book assumes you know language arts. The corrected sentences are given to you, but if you don’t know all the rules for why sentences are punctuated in a certain way, for example, you will need to look it up. The fastest way is to use an online query or to turn to an English handbook. You can do this while your kids are writing so you still seem to know what you’re doing. 🙂
The included stories are really long. You are encouraged to write your own stories for your students. I would love to do that, but I just don’t have time. I use the included stories that are designed for a 5-day a week classroom. They move too slowly to complete on our homeschool schedule. I am choosing to just continue the stories into the next school year, but I would also considering editing the stories to shorten them. There are many different Caught Ya books with different stories for different grade levels I would like to try. One of them may be right for you.
Just 10 Minutes? That’s Not Enough!
I agree. Children need lots of time to read and be read to and plenty of time to write as well. What children do not need, in my opinion, is lots of time spent doing boring English drills that kill their interest in the language arts. Caught Ya is a great replacement for language arts workbooks or could be a great supplement for more enriching language arts teaching.
If you like the principles behind Caught Ya, I think you’ll love my upcoming elementary language arts curriculum. Be sure to subscribe to Psychowith6 so you’ll be the first to be notified. If you’d like more ideas for making language arts fun, check out my lists of grammar websites and games and follow me on Pinterest.
If your students struggle with grammar or find it boring, you’ll love these free grammar websites that can serve as a complete curriculum, a great complement to your studies, or a fun, occasional break. I’ve reviewed dozens of grammar websites (so you don’t have to) and have determined that these are the best of the best! If you’re looking for grammar games be sure to check out this popular post.
Grammar games are included with the Grammar Galaxy lessons your student will love!
Best Free Grammar Websites for Beginner to Upper Level Students
If you’re looking for a complete, free language arts curriculum, look no further. I’m crazy about Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool because it offers pre-planned instruction online. If you want only grammar lessons, students can complete just those sections.
I’m crazy about the Virtual Grammar Lab because it provides a search engine of grammar websites for grammar concept and type of activity. Search results tell you if the activity is easy, medium, or difficult. It could serve as a complete curriculum if you used a scope and sequence like this one from Easy Grammar. You can also sign up for a free account so you can track your students’ progress.
I’m crazy about Daily Grammar because it can easily serve as a complete grammar curriculum. Lessons include practice questions and quizzes follow every five lessons.
While the English Media Lab is designed primarily for English as Second Language students, I’m crazy about the breadth of activities listed at this site for all students of grammar. If you’re working with a scope and sequence of some sort, this site will provide you with everything you need to teach and enrich the study of grammar.
Best Free Grammar Websites for Beginner to Intermediate Students
I’m crazy about these classic videos that I remember from childhood. If I remember them, our kids will, too! You can find the grammar videos among all the School House Rock videos on this Disney curated playlist.
I’m crazy about Grammar Practice Park because it offers games to teach grammar concepts like proper / common nouns and sentence type for grades 3 through 5. Grammar Gold, also through Harcourt School Publishers, offers grammar downloads for grades 1 through 5.
I’m crazy about Arcademic Skil Builders because it has the most game-like interface of the websites I reviewed. While it doesn’t offer a lot of games (Furious Frogs, Word Frog, Verb Viper, and Word Invasion are the true grammar games), your students are likely to enjoy them.
I’m crazy about Grammar Gorillas because it’s a great alternative to sentence diagramming. Beginners can choose nouns and verbs from sentences and intermediate learners can identify all the main parts of speech to earn bananas.
Once your students know the main part of speech, they can do Mad Libs online. I’m crazy about Mad Libs because rather than just identifying nouns and adjectives, kids have to choose them. As with any Mad Libs, the results can be entertaining.
I’m crazy about Grammar Ninja because it’s a great way to entice boys to practice identifying parts of speech. Throwing stars get stuck in the words that are chosen correctly and “ninjas” are encouraged for correct responses.
I’m crazy about Maggie’s Earth Adventures because of the real-life contexts for the games. Nouns and verbs get sorted into recycling bins. If a student makes a mistake, the sand gets littered with that word’s trash. The editing game involves helping a reporter get his grammar correct by retyping. Other games help students with prefixes and suffixes and word matching.
I’m crazy about Grammar Blast because it offers grade-level quizzes (for 2nd through 5th grade) that mimic questions kids will encounter on standardized testing. Kids will like earning points for correct responses on multiple grammar subjects.
I’m crazy about Grammar Man because the site uses comics (in printed and movie form) to teach grammar concepts. There are some excellent printables on vocabulary and reading here as well.
I’m crazy about Quill because of its beautiful interface and the practice students will get typing their answers, rather than just choosing a multiple choice radio button.
I’m crazy about Grammar Bytes because its exercises offer teaching followed by funny responses to your answers and even more importantly, a thorough explanation for incorrect answers. Power Points, online exercises, and accompanying handouts are available.
This is one of the most unique grammar websites and may be super motivating for your students. Movie clips are used to teach grammar concepts. There are exercises and associated worksheets.
I’m crazy about Grammar Arcade because it also has a true gaming interface that middle and high school students will enjoy. There are 10 concepts for students to study. Note that if you are sent to Classzone’s main page, you will need to click on California on the map and then click GO to access the grammar arcade.
I’m crazy about the British Council’s Learn English because it teaches students a grammar concept and follows the lesson with interactive quizzes which can earn points. Fifty grammar concepts are covered.
I’m crazy about the Blue Book site because has a number of excellent free grammar lessons and quizzes and in particular has a great grammar pretest and mastery test.
I’m crazy about this website because it can serve as a complete grammar course for your upper level students. Students must score 80% or better on quizzes before continuing.
I’m crazy about the Guide to Grammar and Writing because it’s an extremely thorough treatment of grammar with associated quizzes that could serve as a complete grammar curriculum for your upper level students.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
The better a child reads, the more he will read. The more a child reads, the better her reading skills will be.
