Read-Aloud Revival ®

Many of us want to help our children learn a second language, but where do we start? And what if we only speak one language ourselves?Anne Guarnera of Language Learning at Home is joining us today to walk us through it. Although it isn’t her first language, she speaks Spanish in her home and encourages families to learn new languages together.In this episode, you’ll hear:How to get started learning a new languageHow learning a second language helps us with our native languageHow books are a fantastic resource (of course!)Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/98/.

Last week we talked about reading aloud to kids who can read on their own,  but today we’re taking that a step further and talking about reading aloud with teens. You know the most important thing about reading aloud with teens, right? Surprise! It’s not their literary value or whether your teen knows how to analyze a story. It’s better than that.(Much better).Reading with teens can be pure magic. It’s such a simple way to slow down and enjoy one another’s company. And it’s really important to enjoy our teens’ company!Read more about this and the importance of treating your teen’s reading life more like a book club (and less like a school assignment) in The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids Through Books.In this episode, you’ll hear:what’s so magical about reading aloud with teens?why you can think of what you read with teens as adding concentric circles (in other words, we’re not moving up, we’re moving out)a few book recommendations to read with your teens, even if you haven’t been reading aloud to him or her latelyFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/97/.

If there is one thing I hope you take away from this episode – it’s this: keep reading to your 8-12 year olds. Kids ages 8-12 are so fun to share books with, and you can have such wonderful conversations with this age group. Plus, you are continuing to make memories and associate reading with warm feelings. That’s a total win!There’s lots more in The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids Through Books about reading with kids ages 8-12 (in fact, that picture for this podcast gives you a hint at some of the other recommendations for this age range in The Read-Aloud Family!), but today…In this episode, you’ll hear:potential pitfalls when reading to 8-12’swhat to do about “the classics”and just a couple of books that I think your 8- to 12-year-olds will loveFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/96/.

Kids who are 4-7 years old often love stories and can even begin to enjoy chapter books. Reading aloud to kids this age can be such a delight!You’re also able to have great conversations about what you’re reading together.There’s a whole chapter in The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids Through Books about reading with this age group, but today…In this episode, you’ll hear:what you are really going for at this stage (you’ll like the answer!)what to look for in books for this age groupjust a few book recommendations 😉Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/95/.

Guess what? The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids is now available everywhere!In this episode, I’m thrilled to share a little from the book about reading aloud to your 0-3 years olds. And of course, I’ll make a couple of book suggestions …Of course.In this episode, you’ll hear:the most important thing when it comes to reading aloud to kids age 0-3problems you’ll run into when reading with babies and toddlers (and how to navigate them)my favorite trick for reading aloud when toddlers are melting down — it’s like MAGICFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/94/.

Today I get to share a chapter from my new book, The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids.This is chapter 6 (one of my favorites!), where I talk about how we can create a book club culture at home, and thereby raise kids who read for the love it. This is how our kids become “real readers.”In this episode, you’ll hear:how and why to create a book club culture in your homewhy we need to read books that don’t “count” toward anything!how to help your kids become real readersFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/93/.

Sometimes it can be tricky to find books for boys.It’s not so much that they need different books than girls do, but… well……at some point, you may find it’s difficult to match your boys up with books they love.You know what I mean, right?The kind of books they’ll stay up late reading with a flashlight underneath the covers. The kind of books that give them an insatiable thirst for reading. The kind of books that turn them into readers.These books, of course, are not just books for boys. Many appeal to my girls, as well! But if you have a boy in your life who just doesn’t love reading (yet!), then this episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast is for you.Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/boys/.

Need a few Easter basket ideas for your young readers? We’ve got you covered!In this episode we’re bringing you books and bookish ideas for kids infant-teen.In this episode, you’ll hear:favorite children’s bibles and Easter booksfiction books that your kids will love to find in their baskets this yearFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/90/.

It could be said that if not for a slightly impulsive email to Andrew Pudewa, the Read-Aloud Revival might not exist.That’s right – today I am welcoming back Andrew Pudewa from the Institute for Excellence in Writing – who was also the very first guest on the podcast.In this episode, you’ll hear:why reading aloud matterswhen to start literary analysis with our kids (the answer might surprise you!)what to do if your kids what you to read all their schoolwork to themFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/89/.

Today I’m sharing one of the best books I read last year. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street is uniquely wonderful– a refreshing and upbeat middle grade novel featuring a loud and lively big family (5 kids and their parents), a curmudegonly landlord, a talented bunny, and enough witty dialogue to keep you warm for the rest of winter.This is now my go-to recommendation for families who love The Penderwicks, All-of-a-Kind Family, The Saturdays or The Moffats.The author’s dog is named Ginger Pye. So we knew she was gonna feel right at home here at RAR, right?In this episode, you’ll hear:how a building or a place can (and did!) become a book characterKarina’s writing process (hint: she wrote her first books during NaNoWriMo)books suggestions that celebrate familiesFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/88/.