Reading Aloud with Teens

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One of my favourite things to do over the years is read books with my lad.  Everyday we’d plow through different books together, talking and laughing, learning together.  So much fun we shared.  🙂 As my lad gets older it gets harder to find the time to read together.  But reading aloud with teens is very rewarding. 

I mentioned that reading aloud with teens is very rewarding.  I have given you some hints in the past, but let me tell you how.

The Main Reason: It’s fun.  Seriously.  Reading books together is fun. The conversations that ensue, the knowledge gained, the laughter shared together.  It’s so golden!  Everything spills out of the fun of reading together.

What else comes from reading together?

• Increased vocabulary.  You can read books above the reading age of your student. 
• Modeling reading.  The joy in learning, the wonder of new things learned. 
• Improved comprehension. Since you are talking about what you are reading you can automatically check the level of understanding. 
• Listening skills increase. You need to listen in order to have conversations. Since conversations are a great part of reading together it doesn’t take long for those skills to kick in.
• Since you can read a variety of materials you can see what sparks your children’s interests. 
• And since you are sparking their interests, you can increase their curiousity in the world around them and
• Give them a greater thirst for learning 
• and in the process help them to further develop their critical thinking skills. 
• You can not only read fiction, but non-fiction books.  How to manuals, scary stories, biographies and whatever strikes your fancy.  Switch up the genres of the books you read.
• Discuss difficult issues like divorce, abortion, racism, political correctness and more. Stories can open eyes to concerns you hadn’t thought about before and give insight into how your child thinks.
• And since you are doing all of that… consider how much closer you and your children become as you discuss great ideas, books, and interests together.  It’s amazing.

Our Latest Read Togethers

Since my son is studying World War 2 this year our focus has been on reading books about that war.   Some of these books I’ve reviewed so it’s been a pleasure to read them again. I’ve linked to reviews.

• World War 1 heroes.
• Elly: my true story of the Holocaust.
• Marika.
• It Rained Warm Bread. 
• Fever Year. 
• Spies, Lies and Disguise. 
• Under the Broken Sky. 
• Survivors of the Holocaust. 
• Desert Danger. 
• Heroes of the Holocaust.
• Behind the Bedroom Wall.

Affiliate links follow below.

Racism, heroic action, desertion, anger, pain, horror, surprising kindness, devastating brutality, mistakes by commanders, weaponry, sneakiness (in a good way), faith, and indoctrination.  All these ideas are covered by these books.  We’ve had so many discussions and pleas for just “ONE MORE chapter mom, ONE MORE!”  

Future Plans

We have plans to read additional books as well.  One of World War two planes, Anne Frank, White Rose Society and more.   So many good books around there. Every author has a different perspective and notes different things that broadens our perspective.  I’ve recently finished listening to the audio book Story of the World War II.  I’ve told my lad snippets of it and he plans to listen to it as well. 

Others in this Series

• Add in your life. 
• Edmund Burke, philosopher. 
• Clarity in Writing.
• Deep Runs the Well. 
• Ease of Consistent Schedules. 
• Fantastic Ways to learn History. 
• Going Through Browswer Tabs. 
• Hiding the Unknown.
• Invested in Health.
• William James, philosopher.
• Key books for Middle School. 
• Looking for Picture Books. 
• Making Facebook Easier. 
• New Direction.
• Online Homeschool Conference.
• Studies in Philippians. 
• Quine. 
• Reading Aloud with Teens. 
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