Bridging the Gap
One obstacle to our nightly reading time is that Jaymie, age 7, is an experienced reader and listener, while Julia, age 4, is still mostly a picture book listener. This means that Kristen and I both need to be available to read if we are going to read to them before bed, since the girls don't like it if they are left out of a reading time, even if they get a turn later.
The past couple of nights, I've tried reading Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary to Julia. She'll sit through a chapter, and complain if I suggest that we read something easier, but I'm not sure that she's getting much out of the experience. I'm not entirely certain how to proceed. It would be nice if I could occasionally read a book to Jaymie and Julia together, but I don't want Julia to have to sit through a story that she's not ready for.
The past couple of nights, I've tried reading Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary to Julia. She'll sit through a chapter, and complain if I suggest that we read something easier, but I'm not sure that she's getting much out of the experience. I'm not entirely certain how to proceed. It would be nice if I could occasionally read a book to Jaymie and Julia together, but I don't want Julia to have to sit through a story that she's not ready for.
posted by Bryce @ 1/23/2005 10:55:00 PM
2 Comments:
At 10:29 PM, January 30, 2005,
Amira said…
I have read books to my boys that they they don't quite understand, and I think it is worthwhile. They hear new words and know that there are other interesting books out there to look forward to. It's nice to have them listen to a book together. And sometimes it's fun for my older son to hear a "younger" book, just for fun, that his little brother enjoys.
Of course, I don't make either of them listen to something they don't want to if it's not age appropriate.
At 10:39 PM, January 30, 2005,
Bryce said…
Tonight I asked Julia if she would like to me to read from Beezus and Ramona again, and she flatly refused. If Jaymie isn't there, she's not really interested in non-picture books. At this point, I'm not inclined to press the issue with her, since she's only 4, and especially not during her one-on-one reading time. On the occasional nights when I have to read to the two girls together, however, I may split the difference between them, rather than read strictly at Julia's comfort level.
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