Reading aloud

Over the seven or so years we have had children, I have probably spent hundreds of hours reading aloud to the kids.  So now, I am thankful for the roles to reverse.  These kids love to read to us.  Abbey enjoys reading fun fictional stories to us, while Luke enjoys reading non-fiction books and facts to us.

And I love being to relax on the couch, squeeze in some cuddle time and listen to the excitement, enthusiasm and giggles as they read.  The latter tells me that they are not just reading random words, but they are learning and comprehending.

Reading to dogs at the animal shelter's "rescue readers" program.

Abbey, reading to kittens at the rescue readers program.

When I am completely exhausted and know that I still need to get back in that kitchen (where I feel like I have been most of the day anyway) to make dinner, I often excitedly remember--"Oh yeah, we haven't had our read aloud time today!"  So, I ask cheerfully, "Who wants to read to me?"  And the kids come running into the living room to our reading spot on the couch.  Abbey usually is a little more eager than Luke, because reading is one of her passions.  And, she reads which such emotion and enthusiasm.  I am amazed at how she reads--not just words, but as if she is reading lines in a play--acting as the characters in the story.  One of my friends recently mentioned, "you should totally start a youtube channel where Abbey just reads books."  Also recently, I have heard that kids really enjoy watching other kids on youtube doing various things--from simply playing with their toys, to opening packages.  So, why not add a change of our four year old reading books?  If nothing else, it will encourage me to regularly take videos of her reading, which I am certain I will not regret having many years from now.

So, for those interested, here is the link to Abbey's youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMJUTZxC3YEFIp1BKciKYwA.

We record her the first time she reads a book. So, she has never read these books she is reading on the videos.  For the most part, they are library books we check out from the library.  It is so fun to watch her experience the story for the first time. 


Here are Abbey's most recent videos: