Reading Aloud a Book a Day, Growing Readers

I love sharing a good book with children. Reading aloud to children is one of the things to do when you’re growing readers. Read more tips on growing readers! Whether I’m reading to:
• Preschoolers
• PopUP PLAY Date kiddos or
• Any other kidlet
interested in stories I love watching, as I read aloud, their rapt attention.

Some Benefits of Reading Aloud

• Reading aloud helps them understand the structure of a story. That it has a beginning, a middle and an end.
• Reading aloud helps with comprehension. I love interacting with kiddos while reading aloud. When they’re wrapped up in the story and they just have to ask questions or make comments I know there’s a lot of thinking going on!
• It creates a positive association between books and reading. They see my enthusiasm and interest and are more likely to develop a love of reading for themselves.

Now I love reading to my grandchildren. Of course I can’t always be with them so I’m grateful technology allows me to send videos of me reading to them!

Get YOUR kiddo comfy for StoryTime!

Choose video(s) below and listen to me read!

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The PNW is known for rain. With rain comes slugs. Some Smug Slug makes a perfect companion book! This beautifully, illustrated picture book tells a cautionary tells about a slug who continues up a slippery slope, despite the many warnings of various animals. The book also has extra activities for kiddos to do following reading the story. This is a book that’ll help develop observational skills! Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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The setting of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Trout being in the PNW makes this one of my favorite stories. With its eye-popping illustrations capturing the scenery and wildlife of this area, it’s a zany recasting of the children’s rhyme There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.

In this version, the old lady swallows various creatures you’d see in and around the Pacific Ocean. She starts off swallowing a trout, adds a salmon, otter, and walrus. Finally she swallows the entire sea–find out what happens next! Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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I love hiking in the woods. I look every time, but usually I never see any animals. In this book your kiddos can follow the tracks of ten woodland animals. They’ll learn the ways of forest animals while listening to the story sung to the tune Over in the Meadow.

While they listen:
Let them leap like a squirrel; dunk like a raccoon; and pounce like a fox.
Let them count the babies and then search for all ten hidden forest animals.
At the end of the book there are related facts and more activities for your children. Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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Ever wonder how yellow jackets got there stripes? Find out in this wonderful story which was inspired by a legend of the Karuk people. Read how Wise Old Coyote and others work together to help their people. Fire Race is a story of bravery and cooperation. Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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Borreguita and the Coyote is a retelling of a Mexican folktale. It’s main characters are a little ewe lamb and a hungry coyote. Don’t let the lamb’s youth or size fool you though! She’s deceptively clever as the Coyote’s about to find out! Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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A true story of two puppies who wander into Grand Canyon and experience great adventures. These lovable puppies snuggle into the hearts of everyone they meet along the way, ultimately finding a forever home with one of the park rangers. Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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America is made of many different peoples. This book celebrates America’s uniqueness, which is its diversity, in verse and with stunning photos. A ‘picture book’ that worth more than a 1000 words. Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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All children love to be reassured that they’re loved. This ‘guessing’ book highlights the bond between mother and child, a bond revealed and strengthened with a fun game…a cross of Peek-a-Boo and Hide-and-Seek Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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More more more is something all young children will relate to when it comes to spending time and having fun with the people they love. More More More Said the Baby is a fantastic book to engage your kiddo. From acting out the scenes to the repetition they’ll pick up on quickly and join on in. This is a classic for a reason! Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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A “No place like home story” with a lot of sound effects–perfect to engage young listeners and/or early readers! Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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Seeing is believing right? Well not always! Big Size Surprise shows how everything appears to be small at first until the flaps are unfolded and reveal something much bigger! Recommended for children ages infants-preK.

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Pig is a pug. He also is the vehicle for many a cautionary tale. In this story, it’s all about telling the truth. A side talk could also be how to treat friends…poor Trevor! Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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City life is all hustle and bustle right? Well maybe, but life in the country might not be relaxed and quiet either! In The Old Woman Who Loved to Read your child will probably notice the illustrations straightaway.

The Australian setting couldn’t be more different than the PNW. The illustrations highlight what makes that area of the world so unique. Each page is so detailed and beautiful! Your kiddo will probably want to spend time just looking over the pictures after reading the story!

Note that all the old woman wants to do is read her stack of books. Ask your kiddo how she does with her goal? How does she manage? Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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Jillian Jiggs– who spends most of her time making up games and playing dress-up– is much too busy to clean her room! Maybe you’ve got a kiddo who can relate–OR maybe you can relate?! This story is made up of delightful rhyming text and fantastic illustrations. Recommended for children ages preK- grade 2.

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Little Excavator wants to help the big rigs transform a vacant lot into a neighborhood park, but they think he’s too small to get the job done. That is, until a job that’s a perfect Little E-sized task comes up! Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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Nothing is more frustrating for kiddos wanting to PLAY in the snow than putting on — and then taking off — layer after layer of winter clothing. Nothing will be more fun for your kidlet than ‘reading along’ with rebus book of cumulative rhyme and snow adventure.Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

Books are Springboards to Learning!

For the preschool kiddos I would help them get the idea of what a rebus story means by creating individual pieces for them to bring up when the item was introduced in the story. All my group time stories were as interactive as possible to keep the kiddos engaged and to maximize learning potential.

Following stories, I’d follow up with some kind of activity that highlighted a particular skill or concept.

Often following this story, I’d mix up the pieces and have the kiddos arrange them in the correct sequence. Extra fine motor skill can be worked on by having kiddos use clothes pins to attach the pieces to a hung string. When they have the order of events in the story down, let THEM tell the story!

Maybe your kiddo likes to do action songs. If they were out playing in the snow earlier, when they come in try this one:

Snowball (tune: Frere Jaques)
Make a snowball 2x (pretend to make a snowball)
Throw it now 2x (pretend to throw)
Make a snowball 2x (pretend to make a snowball)
Throw it now 2x (pretend to throw)

Snow with a Science Focus…

After doing the action song and listening to the story, try a science themed activity. Have your kiddo PREDICT where a bowl-full of snow will melt the fastest? Get (3) bowls of snow. Place one in the garage; in a kitchen window; and on a counter in the bathroom. ASK: Your kiddo which area they think the snow will melt the fastest. What makes them select that location? Test their hypothesis! Evaluate results afterwards. Why do they think things happened the way they did? (NOTE: Did they make sure the bowls contained the same amount of snow?)

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After a dove finds a beautiful letter someone has left behind, it searches high and low, in the city and country, for the letter’s owner and touches the very heart of what it means to love and be loved. Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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Through rhyming verse and soft-edged illustrations I’ll Promise I’ll Find You gives calming reassurance that no matter how a child may find themselves separated from their parent, Mom (and/or Dad) will always come find them. It’s a good entry point to talking about what children should do; whom they should call, etc if they ever do find themselves separated. Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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Earthling or Martian adventurers are all the same–they come across an airplane (or UFO) what are you going to do? Take it for a go of course! Though things don’t always work out smoothly, when you’ve got a friend to rely on they usually work out in the end. A book about intergalactic friendship! Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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Use the bold illustrations of this book to kickstart a discussion about all the different feelings children experience. It’s a lot more than happy or sad. When they can put a name to what they’re feeling; to describe it–that’s the beginning of being able to self-regulate and control those big emotions from ruling roughshod over their behavior. Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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An older brother, fed up with a little brother who follows him everywhere and topples his blocks, dreams that the little brother turns into a dog. He thinks of all the ways this new Life could be better—does he end up staying with it? Listen to I Wish My Brother Was a Dog and find out! Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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This is more of the traditional rendition of the tale but without (showing) any blood or gore. The woodsman comes along to release Red Riding Hood and Grandma from the the Wolf; the Wolf comes to a deadly end; and a lesson is learned.Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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Lon Po Po was a guaranteed favorite of the preschoolers. They sat rapt while I read. I think they took the story very seriously and thought What would/could I do? What I appreciated was the children/little girls were not made out to be victims needing rescue. Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.

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My truck-crazed grandbubs have every Construction, Construction book there is. I like this one especially, being an old engineer from Bethlehem Steel, in that there is a ‘girl’ truck (Skid Steer). It’s good to lay the groundwork early that both boys and girls can enjoy playing and eventually work with trucks. In this story it’s TEAMWORK that overcomes the immense task of the new job. After showing pairs of trucks working together, it’s satisfaction at completing the job successfully. And then getting to rest at the end of the day. Mighty, Mighty Construction Site Recommended for children ages preK-grade 2.