Blogging A to Z: Daily Routine

Today’s the letter “D” and we’re talking all about daily routine. Is reading aloud a part of your daily routine? It definitely should be. “55% of children ages 0–5 are read books aloud at home at least five days a week, with 37% read to daily.” (Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report) 55% is not that many kids being read aloud to, especially when it’s such an important part of early literacy and Kindergarten readiness. We’ll get to that in just a minute.

School Age Kids

These percentages of being read aloud to drop dramatically as children head to elementary school. The biggest reason for that? Because kids learn to read on their own. Parents are cited as not believing that reading aloud is as important when kids can read themselves. Have you ever practiced reading with a child who is just learning? It can be excruciatingly difficult. Kids sound out words, get to the end of a sentence only to realize there is an exclamation mark or a question mark and have to start again to read with the right inflection, illustrations don’t always complement the text well. By the time a child has gotten to the end of the sentence, they often can’t remember how it started. So, although they are decoding the text, they are lacking comprehension.

This is where reading aloud comes into play. Children continue to learn vocabulary, comprehension, grammar and semantics when parents continue to read aloud to older children. Parents help to model fluency when reading aloud. All of these are important skills to becoming a successful reader.

Personal Experience

I’ve shared this story before, but I think it’s cool so here it goes again. My parents and my mom specifically read aloud to us through high school. Yep, through high school. When we were younger our read aloud ritual was before bed like many families, but as we got older, we actually switched to the morning. As soon as we were done getting ready for school, we’d sit at the dining room table for 15 minutes, sometimes more and my mom would read aloud to start our day. We’d take turns picking out novels, picture books, whatever we thought would be fun. Looking back, I’m honestly not sure how she got 4 teenagers to take a few minutes every morning to sit down and listen, but it worked. Granted, this was before cell phones, so that might have had something to do with it.

But that just shows, reading aloud doesn’t have to be a bedtime routine, fit it into your schedule wherever it works! If you’ve got a reluctant reader at home, read together – one page for the child, one page for the parent. Choose books that kids want to listen to. Check to see if a new movie adaptation is coming out based on a book. Honestly, it doesn’t even have to be a book – share an article from a kids’ magazine or something you found online. Just make a point of reading aloud every day (or at least most days).

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Today’s list doesn’t have a theme other than all books you should definitely read! A great mix of board books and picture books these titles work for the earliest readers to kids heading to Kindergarten.

Book List #4 – Daily Routine

1. The Bear in My Bed by Joyce Wan
   Joyce’s illustrations are absolutely adorable and are perfect books for tiny hands.
2. B Is for Baby by Atinuke, illustrated by Angela Brooksbank
   Set in West Africa, this fun story focuses on all things letter “B”.
3. Charlotte the Scientist Is Squished by Camille Andros, illustrated by Brianne Farley
   Charlotte is a true scientist, but it’s not easy with so many brothers and sisters! Can she use her science skills to solve her squished problem?
4. How to Take Care of Your Dinosaur by Jason Cockcroft
   Having a hamster is one thing, but how do you take care of a dinosaur?
5. I Am a Wolf by Kelly Leigh Miller
   A pet adoption story, this little pup is convinced she’s a wolf until she meets the perfect human!
6. I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
   The best baby shower gift around, this is a beautiful story of family love.
7. Oona by Kelly Dipucchio, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa
   Oona and her best friend Otto on searching for treasure, but might find some trouble along the way.
8. Peek-A-Who Too? by Elsa Mroziewicz
   A triangle lift-the-flap filled with animal sounds is a perfect read aloud for toddlers.
9. Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani
   A perfect introduction to math concepts with adorable cats!
10. This Book Is Gray by Lindsay Ward
    Gray is feeling left out, so he decides to create his own book, but the other colors keep showing up.
11. Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia
    Construction vehicles abound is this fun, read aloud with great sound effect words!
12. You Are New by Lucy Knisley
    An introduction to parenthood (and being a baby), this is an adorable story to share with your littlest reader.

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the titles on this list, please use my affiliate link for Bookshop.org. When you purchase from this link, I will earn a commission as an affiliate.

For the month of April, I’ll be sharing early literacy tips and book lists as part of the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Learn about the importance of early literacy and ways to incorporate tips and tricks into your family’s daily routine. Developing language skills before kids head to school helps them to be ready to learn when they reach school-age. In addition to great content, you’ll also get a new book list for each letter, resulting in over 300 board book and picture book suggestions for your family to enjoy!