Reading aloud to older kids

[napless]

My boys are 7 and 9. I love to read to them, and they love it too. I plan to read to them forever - or until they won't let me anymore. When do you think that will be? How long did you read to your kids?

[karne]

I read aloud to my pre-teen almost every night, as well as my first grader.

[pixiekisses]

Me and my 11 yo. still reads books together, we often take it one chapther each because he wants to read too and think it's fun that way, and so do I.
My 21 yo. girl and I also did that right up until she moved last year.
(Uh, the year before last, it's a new year now.)

[tbone_kneegrabber]

dp reads aloud to me almost everynight. (and we are grown ups! or at least that's what my id says!)

[pixiekisses]

Heh, yeah, we do that too. I mean, me and my dear read to each other, we do one chapter each in books we want to read. It's lovely!

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

We still read to 10 YO DS each night at bedtime. It is getting harder and harder to find books that he can't read himself but that aren't TOO "grown up" for him (or embarrass me to read!). Mostly we've found books within the sci-fi/fantasy genre that we all like. The only problem is that DH and I alternate kids each night, so I only get to read every other chapter with DS. I've been known to grab a book that we finished just to be able to read the inbetween chapters.

Anyone have recommendations for older children read-aloud books? So far we've done all of Harry Potter, all of Narnia, Chronicals of Ancient Darkness (a favorite), the Percy Jackson series (can't remember the series name) and the less-complex Pern books from Ann McCaffrey. Always looking for new ideas!

[annethcz]

Our kids are about the same age as the OP's kids- 6-10. We do a family reading time each night, but we've moved away from the really kid-oriented books. Right now we're reading Sherlock Holmes stories, mostly because DH hasn't read them in ages and wanted to read them again Sometimes our kids listen, sometimes they bring their own books to the living room while we're reading aloud, sometimes they just listen to their mp3 players. The important part is that we're all together and that we end the day on a peaceful note.

[pixiekisses]

@Evan&Anna's_Mom, Neil Gaiman has many wonderful, good books for that age. We love them.

[MeepyCat]

My kids are too young to be interested in chapter books yet - we're reading "Cars, Trucks and Things That Go" as a bedtime story - but my parents read to us until we hit high school and decided we were too cool and mature for that kind of thing. My best memories of my dad are the times when he'd get to the end of a chapter, frown at the book, and say "That's a terrible place to stop!", before flipping the page over and reading on.

Anyone have recommendations for older children read-aloud books? So far we've done all of Harry Potter, all of Narnia, Chronicals of Ancient Darkness (a favorite), the Percy Jackson series (can't remember the series name) and the less-complex Pern books from Ann McCaffrey. Always looking for new ideas!

The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. I am also a big fan of his Westmark Trilogy, although it may not be the best bedtime reading (particularly book two, which includes guerilla warfare, described more accurately than is strictly comfortable), and the Vesper Holly adventures. The Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones. If your family are Trek fans, and you are willing to track down out of print books, "How Much For Just the Planet?" by John M. Ford would be really fun. This is the book that inspired Paramount to change the rules for the Star Trek media tie-in line to ensure that Captain Kirk would never again take a cream pie in the kisser.

And to break with your preferred genre completely, P.G. Wodehouse is always a good time.

[Linda on the move]

My kids are 11 and 13 and still love to be read to at night. They both read on college level so this isn't about reading thing things they couldn't read to themselves, it's just a way to spend time together and connect. At this point, we rotate picking the books so one of them has usually already read what we are reading aloud. They love hearing me read it anyway!

It's really nice at this age. There are so many difficult things about this stage and reading at bedtime lets us all let go of all that.

Series we like:
I really like the Golden Compass series. The 3rd book was my favorite. My kids love the
Warrior series. Gregory the Overlander is a great series. It a very easy read and seemed silly to me for the first 50 pages, but then I got hooked.

Single books:
Mamma's Bank Account
Summer of the Monkeys
Dragon Rider

[Ruthla]

I personally stopped being read to once I was old enough to read independently. I did the same thing with my kids, because I didn't know any better.

A couple of years ago, when DD2 was homeschooled, I started having us read out loud, alternating chapters. I read that it was a good way for her to practice public speaking, as well as learn how to pronounce all the new words she was learning while reading. Basically, I saw it as a "teaching tool" when I started reading out loud with my 11yo.

Soon we discovered that it's a beautiful way to share books- to discuss what we think will happen before it does, since we're both at the same point in the book (vs her reading the book independently and then me reading it, or vice versa.) It's a way to savor the books, not plow through them.

I'm still reading out loud with her. We each have a book we're reading independently, plus we have a book that we're reading out loud together. I imagine we'll keep doing this as long as we're living in the same household.

[MusicianDad]

DD, DH and I often read books as a group, each person taking a chance to read a chapter. So we still read to DD 11, technically. It's fun and something we all enjoy.

[karne]

Originally Posted by Evan&Anna's_Mom

Anyone have recommendations for older children read-aloud books?

The Hobbit is a great read aloud! Jim Trelease's The Read Aloud Handbook is a great resource.

[skreader]

Originally Posted by karne

The Hobbit is a great read aloud!

I agree. I read aloud The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and the Return of the King, as well as all the JK Rowling books (which was far less pleasant to read aloyd than Tolkien). Basically any book that your kid might enjoy reading, is a good candidate for reading aloud.


I have also read aloud the the Percy Jackson series and am now am reading aloud "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett.

Edited to add - my kids are 13 and 11

[napless]

Yay! I'm so glad to hear this!

[choli]

I handed off the reading aloud to my older DD when she was 9 and my younger DD was 6. They both enjoyed that.

I took over the reading aloud to MY sisters when I was 9. We were all happy with that, including my mother...

[mistymama]

Dh and I alternate nights reading with ds before bed. It's a special time for all of us and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. Sometimes ds will choose to read to us instead of us to him - and then each night he continues to read after we leave the room.

But I hope we don't have to give up this routine for a long time to come!

[morgainesmama]

dd is 10 and cherishes our reading time. The book we're reading now is a fairly easy book she could have read independently several years ago -- she still loves having me read to her. It's about the joy of sharing time and literature together.

My husband was so excited when he started sleeping over when the kids were here, and he learned that I read aloud each night. He also loves listening, and later asked me to pick some books to read aloud to him.

I have no strong memories of my mother reading to me after I was 5 or 6 or so. In hindsight, I wonder what happened.

[lorijds]

My girls are 11 and 14. In the last year, we've read My Antonia, To Kill a Mocking Bird, James Harriot short stories, Millions, The Graveyard Book, and the Final Solution(the last two were Neil Gaiman books).

I read to both of them, and then I also have a book going that the youngest and I read, when we're home alone in the mornings as the oldest goes to school very early. She and I are reading Cirquedu Freak, which honestly isn't that good as far as I'm concerned, but she likes it.

The three of us aren't reading anything together right now, though...we're slowly working our way through Battlestar Galactica. Not reading, but it's still great fodder for discussion, with some pretty deep themes of humanity, religion, democracy, etc. That's how we justify our current nerd-fest, anyhow.

It's difficult now, though, with everyone's differing schedules to find the time for a family read.

[pixiekisses]

Originally Posted by skreader

I have also read aloud the the Percy Jackson series and am now am reading aloud "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett.

Of course, how could I forget one of my favorite authors, Terry Pratchett. He has a lot of great ones that we read too. And we've been through The Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit already as well.