Why I don’t use a homeschool reading log and what I do instead
Have you heard of a homeschool reading log? Children track and write down the books they read for a certain amount of time (a semester, a season, summertime, etc.) and then typically there is a reward attached for completing the reading log. These can be popular but I don’t prefer these for a few reasons. Keep reading to find out what effective strategies I use instead.
I taught kindergarten for many years and our school often handed out monthly reading logs, which can be similar to a homeschool reading log. I found that the students who typically turned these reading logs in at the end of each month were the ones whose parents could simply keep track of the reading log. However, I never found a correlation between reading success and turning in monthly reading logs. I had plenty of students who were strong readers and their families created a culture of reading at home who never turned in a reading log. This wasn’t because they didn’t read each night. They did. Many other factors such as busy nights, forgetting, misplacing the reading log, etc. got in the way of completing a reading log.
Asking students to read and log a book can feel like a chore. I never want reading to feel like a chore. Nor do I want a student to be extrinsically motivated to read. So in our home instead of using a homeschool reading log, we encourage a love of reading and build a culture of reading in our house in many different ways.
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Summer homeschool reading program that builds a culture of literacy
Many families, homeschool and public/private school, technically have no school in the summer and therefore are on a break. However, I view summer break as more of a break from routine, structure and scheduled plans. I do not believe summer should be a break from all learning, especially from reading. While daily reading lessons don’t necessarily need to occur, students should still be reading daily for fun.
Children have spent the last 9-10 months learning many phonics skills and a lot of English grammar and by taking a 2-3 month break from practicing these skills learned students may have a regression. To avoid a summer slump or reading regression I recommend that students read often. While it can feel restricting to state that children should read daily, although in an ideal world this would be true, I recommend that children read books more days than not throughout the summer. This allows for days of no reading, events to get in the way and a break to occur.
Fun Summer Activities to Promote Reading
Instead of following a strict program or protocol you can make summer reading fun. A summer homeschool reading program can look like whatever works for your family.
The following are examples of possible a homeschool reading program, so pick one or combine for whatever works for your family. Set aside time each day for reading. Follow a daily theme such as the one below:
- Make it Monday → read books about crafting, invention, making things, etc.
- Teach me Tuesday → read informational books and learn a new skill or concept
- I Wonder Wednesday → read books that answer questions your child has been curious about lately
- Thriving Thursday → read your favorite books from a specific topic, author, series, etc.
- Feelings Friday → read books about emotions and feelings
Another idea would be to follow a weekly theme such as pirates/mermaid, space, exploration, crafting, animals, etc. This allows for more in-depth understanding because your child is spending a week, or more, exploring a specific topic. The ideas are endless about how you can spend your summer reading and building a culture of reading in your home without using a homeschool reading log.
Homeschool summer activities to build a love of reading
A love of reading happens when students find enjoyment in the whole process of reading and reading isn’t treated as a chore. From selecting and reading books to creating art projects and writing pieces about books, there are dozens of ways to build a love of reading this summer.
Book bins
Designating a specific bin or area for special books to live for a week or two before trading them out is crucial. Oftentimes children become overwhelmed by the option of too many books so they tend to gravitate toward the same familiar books. One way to expose children to a variety of books is to use a book bin. Have your child select 10 books maximum from either your collection of books at home or from a local library and keep them in their book bins. After a week or two, have your child trade the books in their bin for new books. My children tend to keep a few books and not trade them for new ones each week. This is acceptable with me as long as some books are traded out. Remember, exposing children to new books is the key.
Reading at bedtime and snack time
Once you have your book bins established now it is time to read. In our family we make reading a part of our bedtime routine, but this isn’t the only time to sit and read to your child. Most days we enjoy our snack time outside, weather permitting, which often leads to kids being distracted by wildflowers or a dancing butterfly and they abandon their snack altogether. To avoid this, but also still enjoy the sunshine outside, I often read to my children while they eat. This is a calming activity that grounds them and allows them to eat and listen to a story. There are many times and opportunities to read during the day and finding what works best for your family is key.
Books in the car
Starting when my kids were little we have always had books in the car. As with book bins, we change out the books in the car every month or so. I never make my kids read in the car, but books are always present. Again the goal is to create a culture of reading in our family.
Audio Books
Some children really love audiobooks. I believe most children love to be read to, but that is not always an option for some families. Therefore, audiobooks come in handy. We love getting Vox Books from the library. These books read the story aloud to children as they follow along on each page. It is always good for children to hear many types of people reading out loud because this teaches them expression and intonation, which are skills needed to be fluent readers.
Homeschool summer activities to do after reading a book
Besides participating in reading books, there are other summer activities that promote literacy even after a book has been read. Reading is crucial but what you do after you read a story should never be skipped. Comprehension is the key. We all read to comprehend and therefore we need to build this skill in children as well. The summer activities listed below do just that.
Mini book report
After reading a picture book, chapter book, non-fiction text, etc., children can create mini book reports. Book reports usually contain the setting, characters, plot, resolution and an alternate ending for fictional books. For non-fiction books a book report contains key facts to understanding the subject. These reports could be in the form of a child-created book, poster, diorama, etc. Let your child get creative. The idea is for your child to show their comprehension and understanding of the story.
Homeschool reading journal
By keeping a journal of books read and completing writing prompts for each book, your child is again building their comprehension ability. This can be a fun way for your child to look back at the end of summer to see all they have read and learned. A few writing prompts for your child to complete in writing and illustration are:
- If you could change the ending, what would it be?
- Change the setting to a different part of the world and tell me how the story would be different.
- Imagine you were the main character. How would you feel throughout the book?
Art project
Children can oftentimes show their comprehension of a story better through illustrations and artwork. After reading a book, give your child art supplies and have them show their understanding of the book. This could be more directed by having them create the setting or the characters. Or this could be more open-ended by having them create anything from the story. Get creative. Put out watercolor paints, pastels, scraps of fabric, markers, dot paint, play-dough, etc. Children love to be creative and this fosters a love of literacy as well by showing children the connections they can make through reading.
There are many ways to promote reading this summer or any other season without using a homeschool reading log. I hope your family builds an even deeper love of reading and the culture of reading becomes a part of your family culture.
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