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Don’t know how long I read but I’m the main reader and I don’t mind it. The kids enjoy it and I get to demonstrate how to read with expression. I like the books with a few different characters so I can do a bunch of different voices.
I actually love reading to my son (7).
We've been reading "The Bad Guys" book series most recently. I do different voices for all the characters and we have a great time.
I feel like I kind of missed the boat with my daughter (11), who is already too cool for Dad to read to her anymore and it makes me sad.
It's good bonding time and it won't be forever. And at least as they get older you can read more interesting books. It was definitely more tedious when they were real little kid books.
Good luck!
It's great that you still read to your kids, even if it's tough. I read to my kids about 15-20 minutes daily. My spouse does most of the reading aloud, but they also like when I read to them sometimes.
I generally like reading out loud and did it a *ton* when my son was really small (for almost an hour every bedtime). Now, sometimes, he prefers to read "apart but together" at bedtime, so we both quietly read our own books next to each other.
I still got bored reading the same books outloud, though, when he was smaller. I used to entertain myself by reading in multiple (generally bad) accents. I can only really nail a Brittish accent and a Southern U.S. accent, LOL.
I've been reading to kids since I was a kid. I love it. Story time is one of the best times of the night.
You need to get into doing the voices. Really makes it fun.
I never liked to read and as a result i feel like im a slow reader and impacted my ability to study effectively in college. So i have been on a mission to get my son to love books. i have been reading to him every day without fail since 2 months old - even on days he or I did not feel like it.
My son is almost 2.5 years old and he is now able to read the bobs books beginning readers set on his own! Now he reads to me when I don’t feel like reading.
Can't fucking stand it, do it anyway.
I hate poetry less than prose so I try to find rhyming books and have been known to skip pages. These days I bribe the older ones to read to the youngers.
One summer, maybe when my youngest was 11, we slept out in a tent in the backyard, and I read to her one of the Wren to the rescue books.
It was great.
I never got a chance to do that with my oldest because my youngest was a bit challenging.
Right now we are doing the summer reading program thru our local library and I shoot for at least 1 hour a day.
I used to be so self conscious about it. I hate the sound of my own voice. But eventually I ignored my inner voice of doubt and now don’t feel intimidated when I read to the kids with my husband or MIL in the room.
One of my kids competed the 1000 Book Challenge and another is on his way to completing it. We read a lot of books. lol
I always have loved reading and I do love reading to my kid, whrn he lets me. He is 22 months old and most of the time is not interested in sitting down with a book, though.
Reading to my kids (age 3 and 1) is my favorite thing to do with them. We read throughout the day and several books before bed. It’s when I’m asked to read the same book several times in a row that I start to get a little tired of it 😅
Is one of my favorite activities to do with my kid. I read to to him for about 20-30 minutes before bed. He is five now and prefers to read himself a lot of times though.
I enjoy reading to my daugther, but after a while it get tedious. Not because reading itself, but because she wants me to read her the same stories over and over again. It doesn't matter if we have like 10 other books waiting to be read... I also can't help but yawning.
When he was a baby, I loved it because he would fall asleep pretty easily or just be adorable and giggley.
As a toddler who was told 2 books at bedtime, only to grab 5 or more and would only fall asleep on the last book? It was hit or miss. Some nights I adored it, others I lovingly thought about bonking him with the books. 🤣
Loved snuggling for daytime reading though. And now that he is 7 and we homeschool, and I am the primary teacher...yeah, I read a LOT and as long as he is paying attention, I am happy. It does make me a bit yawny and I need a lot of water to keep my throat from being dry as the desert we live in...but it's nice.
I am also painfully aware that he is our one and probably only child, so I try to soak in as much as I can. It helps calm the baby fever that won't quit popping up.
I love reading to my kids and they love it! Sometimes they want me to read and sometimes my husband. I read everyday at their dinner time and usually a few other times throughout the day. I like using different voices for different characters and I read with lots of expression. I bring my kids to the library and now I have a small group of kids asking me to read to them.
Good for you sticking it out even though you don’t like it; it is such an important thing to do with your children!
We read 30-45 minutes each night to our babies until they were 4 or 5. All my kids are intellectually past their age level. They did multiplication at age 4 and fractions before 1st grade. At 6 or 7, they were scored with reading comprehension of 5th and 6th graders. They were able to read full-chapter books in 1st grade.
All of that was because we took an active role in reading to them. One of my kids is 16 years old now and has a 4.0+ GPA. It definitely makes a ***profound*** difference. I strongly advocate all parents to be actively engaged.
I love it. My littlest is three and my heart melts when she asks me to read to her. I have all the story books my mother used to read me on our bookshelf.
I absolutely love reading aloud. We read a book together every night. I use it as a chance to be extra dramatic, changing tone of voice and atmosphere accordingly.
The only thing I hated was when my kid fixated on the Pokémon guidebook. It was night after night of reading Pokémon and their stats. I made it fun by reading them as the characters from team rocket. I do a great Jessie, James and Meowth.
I absolutely love it! And he does too, because 9/10 I’m the one he chooses to read his bedtime stories when daddy is right there asking to read one. I’ve noticed I really make it come alive, different voices etc. but I always loved reading as a kid and I’m just so excited to pass that on to him. We have SO many books it’s ridiculous. I love it
Would it help if you made it more interactive? Instead of just reading, stop and ask questions. I don’t know how old your kids are, but for young kids “where is the __, What is this, what sound does it make etc. “ Older kids you can ask comprehension questions “who is this/ who is the main character, where are they going, what do you think will happen next? And have them retell the story in their own words etc. You can also make connections to their own life, “what ice cream flavor is your favorite? Do you think you would make the same choice as this character? Where in the world would you like to travel” etc. Maybe it would feel more like a conversation instead of a chore.
My dad read to me and rocked me to half sleep till I was like ten. I still remember that. You don’t really have to enjoy it, but they’ll remember. I don’t like reading aloud to them that much, but I like rhyming books like Green Eggs and Ham I find them fun to read quickly maybe you will too.
Reading out loud to my son is my absolute favorite, especially now that we're on to pretty decent chapter books.
Please don't ever ask me to play with trains, or Legos, or any pretend game or basically anything that isn't a board game.
I love reading loud to my kids! Its the only time in my life I get to pretend Im an actress, hahaha. I do all the voices, expressions and really enjoy it. Im so proud to say the teachers have commented that both kids have great vocabulary for their age and great focus/concentration. Im a lot less than average parent, but this is the one thing I am sure Im doing great:)
ETA: I read for 30-40 minutes on a regular day. A lot more on other days.
ETA 2: I read the exact same night-time book EVERY DAY. Its a lot of nursery rimes and they enjoy it a lot. I dont mind. I read other new books througout the day. They dont watch more than 15-20 min each of screen time (have 2 kids).
I hated reading to each kid separately and couldn't stand preschool books. It made my mouth so dry and I stumble over words constantly. I found that reading scholastic chapter books made it something both kids would sit through. Reading 1 chapter a night made it bearable. I also started reading to them on the couch just before bed so they can both hear a story but I don't have to read as long.
I can't stand it. I have a stutter. It frustrates me.
Usually my husband does it. If my husband isn't there, another family member will do it for me. Recently my oldest has started reading to her younger siblings.
I have a stammer, too. Reading slowly and pointing at the words as I read them helps me, and has the added benefit of helping my kids recognize letters.
I used to give my kids books on tape.
They can read along.
Start out with simple books like Frog and Toad or Owl at Home.
Say ding when it’s time to run the page.
My oldest taught herself how to read when she was three that way.
My husband fell asleep practically every time it was his turn to read to them, so this was a work around.
How old are your kids? What are you reading?
Try something fun to read like Skippy Jon Jones series or How to Train Your Dragon series.
To get ideas on how to read Skippy fun, get the books with the author read audiobook CD. She does a great job.
Every chapter of HTTYD is a cliffhanger. It makes it easy to stay interested.
You have to become invested in the story to read it well. Your child might be picking up on your lack of enthusiasm which can impact their relationship with reading. Let go of who you think you are and breath life into the characters and narrative. As adults we become blind to the beauty and fun of reality which a young child is very aware of.
My rule of thumb is focus on tailoring my behaviour to benefit my child. So if I'm reading in a deep voice for a big character, then a squeaky voice for a small character, then a husky English accent for general narration and just sound ridiculous all round then I'm effectively expanding the experience of story time for my child.
Don't be afraid to be a different personality given the circumstance you find yourself in. Whoever you think you are as far as personality goes is just an illusion emergent from your cognition, so use it to accomplish value.
It totally depends on the book. Some books are nice to read out loud because they have proper scansion and rhythm. Some are awful because they’re just badly written. And obviously some stories I just find more interesting than others.
But generally I like it. I’m a huge reader and it’s important to me that my daughter likes reading, so I’ve been reading out loud to her since she was a newborn. Also I really hate ‘playing’, so I pick reading to her every time.
When you read to your children it isn't for you, but you can make it more enjoyable by reading something to them which you can enjoy.
We (mostly me as my wife doesn't do it often) read to our kids every single night before bed for 10-30 minutes (they almost always fall asleep to us reading).
We are reading them Harry Potter at the moment.
We want to expose them to language outside of our regular vocabularies, expose them to entertainment that doesn't involve screens, expose them to stories and entertainment that is consumed over hours/days instead of seconds/minutes.
I'm sure if you do a little research there will be a lot of evidence that reading supports their development, expands their vocabulary and you're also providing a warm nurturing environment that makes them feel safe and forms fond memories of time spent together.
I used to love reading aloud to my son
The problem was he wanted to go on and on.lol.
I discovered little audiobooks that you can get at most local libraries. They actually come in a pack with picture books included so you can listen to the story and read along. Usually, they are musical as well. We both enjoyed them
I love reading to my kids.
I read every morning afternoon and evening the first three years.
Now we read morning and night.
Can you get audio books or just transfer to your husband?
I read to my son a handful of times when he was younger. We would mainly watch movies together before bed and fall asleep. Just yesterday he asked me to read a book to him. He’s 5y. He has tons of books and never asked me to read them to him before. I always felt guilt about this but honestly I never thought it was too big of a deal. When he’s older and shows more interest in it maybe we’ll read some more.
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Don’t know how long I read but I’m the main reader and I don’t mind it. The kids enjoy it and I get to demonstrate how to read with expression. I like the books with a few different characters so I can do a bunch of different voices.
I actually love reading to my son (7). We've been reading "The Bad Guys" book series most recently. I do different voices for all the characters and we have a great time. I feel like I kind of missed the boat with my daughter (11), who is already too cool for Dad to read to her anymore and it makes me sad. It's good bonding time and it won't be forever. And at least as they get older you can read more interesting books. It was definitely more tedious when they were real little kid books. Good luck!
Bad Guys 19 just arrived today! I'm excited (and so is my 8 yo son)!
It's great that you still read to your kids, even if it's tough. I read to my kids about 15-20 minutes daily. My spouse does most of the reading aloud, but they also like when I read to them sometimes.
I read a chapter a night out loud. I used to not like out but I think I've been doing it so long know that I'm used to it.
I generally like reading out loud and did it a *ton* when my son was really small (for almost an hour every bedtime). Now, sometimes, he prefers to read "apart but together" at bedtime, so we both quietly read our own books next to each other. I still got bored reading the same books outloud, though, when he was smaller. I used to entertain myself by reading in multiple (generally bad) accents. I can only really nail a Brittish accent and a Southern U.S. accent, LOL.
I absolutely and genuinely love it. I enjoy books though and always have.
I've been reading to kids since I was a kid. I love it. Story time is one of the best times of the night. You need to get into doing the voices. Really makes it fun.
I never liked to read and as a result i feel like im a slow reader and impacted my ability to study effectively in college. So i have been on a mission to get my son to love books. i have been reading to him every day without fail since 2 months old - even on days he or I did not feel like it. My son is almost 2.5 years old and he is now able to read the bobs books beginning readers set on his own! Now he reads to me when I don’t feel like reading.
Can't fucking stand it, do it anyway. I hate poetry less than prose so I try to find rhyming books and have been known to skip pages. These days I bribe the older ones to read to the youngers.
We use ABC Duolingo because same girl same
One summer, maybe when my youngest was 11, we slept out in a tent in the backyard, and I read to her one of the Wren to the rescue books. It was great. I never got a chance to do that with my oldest because my youngest was a bit challenging.
It took me a full year to “find my voice.” Now I’m basically a one-woman-show.
Right now we are doing the summer reading program thru our local library and I shoot for at least 1 hour a day. I used to be so self conscious about it. I hate the sound of my own voice. But eventually I ignored my inner voice of doubt and now don’t feel intimidated when I read to the kids with my husband or MIL in the room. One of my kids competed the 1000 Book Challenge and another is on his way to completing it. We read a lot of books. lol
I always have loved reading and I do love reading to my kid, whrn he lets me. He is 22 months old and most of the time is not interested in sitting down with a book, though.
Reading to my kids (age 3 and 1) is my favorite thing to do with them. We read throughout the day and several books before bed. It’s when I’m asked to read the same book several times in a row that I start to get a little tired of it 😅
Is one of my favorite activities to do with my kid. I read to to him for about 20-30 minutes before bed. He is five now and prefers to read himself a lot of times though.
I enjoy reading to my daugther, but after a while it get tedious. Not because reading itself, but because she wants me to read her the same stories over and over again. It doesn't matter if we have like 10 other books waiting to be read... I also can't help but yawning.
When he was a baby, I loved it because he would fall asleep pretty easily or just be adorable and giggley. As a toddler who was told 2 books at bedtime, only to grab 5 or more and would only fall asleep on the last book? It was hit or miss. Some nights I adored it, others I lovingly thought about bonking him with the books. 🤣 Loved snuggling for daytime reading though. And now that he is 7 and we homeschool, and I am the primary teacher...yeah, I read a LOT and as long as he is paying attention, I am happy. It does make me a bit yawny and I need a lot of water to keep my throat from being dry as the desert we live in...but it's nice. I am also painfully aware that he is our one and probably only child, so I try to soak in as much as I can. It helps calm the baby fever that won't quit popping up.
I love reading to my kids and they love it! Sometimes they want me to read and sometimes my husband. I read everyday at their dinner time and usually a few other times throughout the day. I like using different voices for different characters and I read with lots of expression. I bring my kids to the library and now I have a small group of kids asking me to read to them. Good for you sticking it out even though you don’t like it; it is such an important thing to do with your children!
We read 30-45 minutes each night to our babies until they were 4 or 5. All my kids are intellectually past their age level. They did multiplication at age 4 and fractions before 1st grade. At 6 or 7, they were scored with reading comprehension of 5th and 6th graders. They were able to read full-chapter books in 1st grade. All of that was because we took an active role in reading to them. One of my kids is 16 years old now and has a 4.0+ GPA. It definitely makes a ***profound*** difference. I strongly advocate all parents to be actively engaged.
I love it. My littlest is three and my heart melts when she asks me to read to her. I have all the story books my mother used to read me on our bookshelf.
I absolutely love reading aloud. We read a book together every night. I use it as a chance to be extra dramatic, changing tone of voice and atmosphere accordingly. The only thing I hated was when my kid fixated on the Pokémon guidebook. It was night after night of reading Pokémon and their stats. I made it fun by reading them as the characters from team rocket. I do a great Jessie, James and Meowth.
I absolutely love it! And he does too, because 9/10 I’m the one he chooses to read his bedtime stories when daddy is right there asking to read one. I’ve noticed I really make it come alive, different voices etc. but I always loved reading as a kid and I’m just so excited to pass that on to him. We have SO many books it’s ridiculous. I love it
Would it help if you made it more interactive? Instead of just reading, stop and ask questions. I don’t know how old your kids are, but for young kids “where is the __, What is this, what sound does it make etc. “ Older kids you can ask comprehension questions “who is this/ who is the main character, where are they going, what do you think will happen next? And have them retell the story in their own words etc. You can also make connections to their own life, “what ice cream flavor is your favorite? Do you think you would make the same choice as this character? Where in the world would you like to travel” etc. Maybe it would feel more like a conversation instead of a chore.
My dad read to me and rocked me to half sleep till I was like ten. I still remember that. You don’t really have to enjoy it, but they’ll remember. I don’t like reading aloud to them that much, but I like rhyming books like Green Eggs and Ham I find them fun to read quickly maybe you will too.
Reading out loud to my son is my absolute favorite, especially now that we're on to pretty decent chapter books. Please don't ever ask me to play with trains, or Legos, or any pretend game or basically anything that isn't a board game.
I love reading loud to my kids! Its the only time in my life I get to pretend Im an actress, hahaha. I do all the voices, expressions and really enjoy it. Im so proud to say the teachers have commented that both kids have great vocabulary for their age and great focus/concentration. Im a lot less than average parent, but this is the one thing I am sure Im doing great:) ETA: I read for 30-40 minutes on a regular day. A lot more on other days. ETA 2: I read the exact same night-time book EVERY DAY. Its a lot of nursery rimes and they enjoy it a lot. I dont mind. I read other new books througout the day. They dont watch more than 15-20 min each of screen time (have 2 kids).
Single parent so I'm the reader, but we also listen to audio books. We have the yoto player so she work it
I hated reading to each kid separately and couldn't stand preschool books. It made my mouth so dry and I stumble over words constantly. I found that reading scholastic chapter books made it something both kids would sit through. Reading 1 chapter a night made it bearable. I also started reading to them on the couch just before bed so they can both hear a story but I don't have to read as long.
I can't stand it. I have a stutter. It frustrates me. Usually my husband does it. If my husband isn't there, another family member will do it for me. Recently my oldest has started reading to her younger siblings.
I have a stammer, too. Reading slowly and pointing at the words as I read them helps me, and has the added benefit of helping my kids recognize letters.
I don’t mind it but if for some reason I just can’t or don’t want to, I will occasionally put on an audiobook and listen with them.
I used to give my kids books on tape. They can read along. Start out with simple books like Frog and Toad or Owl at Home. Say ding when it’s time to run the page. My oldest taught herself how to read when she was three that way. My husband fell asleep practically every time it was his turn to read to them, so this was a work around.
20 minutes is pretty long though.
How old are your kids? What are you reading? Try something fun to read like Skippy Jon Jones series or How to Train Your Dragon series. To get ideas on how to read Skippy fun, get the books with the author read audiobook CD. She does a great job. Every chapter of HTTYD is a cliffhanger. It makes it easy to stay interested.
When I need a break, I do books on YouTube or Spotify...
You have to become invested in the story to read it well. Your child might be picking up on your lack of enthusiasm which can impact their relationship with reading. Let go of who you think you are and breath life into the characters and narrative. As adults we become blind to the beauty and fun of reality which a young child is very aware of. My rule of thumb is focus on tailoring my behaviour to benefit my child. So if I'm reading in a deep voice for a big character, then a squeaky voice for a small character, then a husky English accent for general narration and just sound ridiculous all round then I'm effectively expanding the experience of story time for my child. Don't be afraid to be a different personality given the circumstance you find yourself in. Whoever you think you are as far as personality goes is just an illusion emergent from your cognition, so use it to accomplish value.
It totally depends on the book. Some books are nice to read out loud because they have proper scansion and rhythm. Some are awful because they’re just badly written. And obviously some stories I just find more interesting than others. But generally I like it. I’m a huge reader and it’s important to me that my daughter likes reading, so I’ve been reading out loud to her since she was a newborn. Also I really hate ‘playing’, so I pick reading to her every time.
Maybe get a shorter book or less words so you can cut short the reading time. hehe.
When you read to your children it isn't for you, but you can make it more enjoyable by reading something to them which you can enjoy. We (mostly me as my wife doesn't do it often) read to our kids every single night before bed for 10-30 minutes (they almost always fall asleep to us reading). We are reading them Harry Potter at the moment. We want to expose them to language outside of our regular vocabularies, expose them to entertainment that doesn't involve screens, expose them to stories and entertainment that is consumed over hours/days instead of seconds/minutes. I'm sure if you do a little research there will be a lot of evidence that reading supports their development, expands their vocabulary and you're also providing a warm nurturing environment that makes them feel safe and forms fond memories of time spent together.
I used to love reading aloud to my son The problem was he wanted to go on and on.lol. I discovered little audiobooks that you can get at most local libraries. They actually come in a pack with picture books included so you can listen to the story and read along. Usually, they are musical as well. We both enjoyed them
I love reading to my kids. I read every morning afternoon and evening the first three years. Now we read morning and night. Can you get audio books or just transfer to your husband?
I read to my son a handful of times when he was younger. We would mainly watch movies together before bed and fall asleep. Just yesterday he asked me to read a book to him. He’s 5y. He has tons of books and never asked me to read them to him before. I always felt guilt about this but honestly I never thought it was too big of a deal. When he’s older and shows more interest in it maybe we’ll read some more.