The Happy Readers
Reading Aloud Changes Everything.
We read aloud every day until my kids left for college. Not because we were extraordinary. Because we just kept doing it - one more chapter, one more year, for 14 years. If you've ever wondered whether read-aloud time has to end when kids learn to read - it doesn't. Here's proof!
"Reading aloud makes readers. Reading aloud makes writers. Reading aloud changes lives."
— Kate DiCamillo
Our Reading Journey
Here's how to get your children reading more
Babies & Toddlers
They should be exploring books, looking at pictures and being read to.
Pre-School
Set a "reading time" for your child. They can quietly play with their books, telling stories to their siblings, their stuffed animals or to you. This is not the time to give them an iPad.
Early Readers
Your child will be beginning to read at school. Make reading at home "pleasurable". There should be a set reading time, but it should be books of their choosing.
Readers
Establish a "family reading time" so everyone is reading at the same time. Read the same book your child is reading so you can have discussions about it.
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Books We Have Read
A complete list of books we've read aloud
At least as many as we could remember. From picture books to Harry Potter — here's our reading journey together.
Join us on Substack.
I've started sharing lines from books that have moved me, made me think of someone I love, or simply struck me as beautifully written. Looking back through them is like revisiting different versions of myself.