Story baskets are an excellent tool for toddlers and preschoolers, but they can also be helpful for older children — practicing speech, storytelling skills, imaginative play, developing early literacy skills, and more. They can be as simple or as complex as you like and don’t have to cost anything to put together. Just use found objects from around your home and books you already own or can check out from the library to fill it. Simple, inexpensive, and a great way to encourage fun reading time!

What to Include in Story Baskets

When I fill up a story basket, I begin with the basket itself and the book I want to highlight. Next, I flip through the book and look for key characters or objects that help tell the story.

For example, in The Very Hungry Caterpillar it would be a caterpillar, a leaf, a lollipop, cheese, watermelon, and a few other similar items. Then, I gather as many of the items as I can find. I can usually do this by going through our toy and craft supplies to find play food, puppets, figurines, etc. These items go into the basket with the book. If I can’t find a key item, I will cut something out of foam or maybe use a picture from a magazine.

If my child is working on a particular skill such as beginning letter sounds or sight words, I will include relevant letters in the basket as manipulatives as well.

How might you use a story basket?

This depends on the age of your children. When I first began making story baskets, we started with one book and focused on the items to go with that. As my daughters got older, it became more of a themed basket with several books and hands-on items.

How to Use Story Baskets

Here are some activities that we’ve done:

Include a favorite book (one they already know) with a few props that go along with the story for your child to tell in their own words. Or they could follow along with the props as you read aloud.

You can put in random items and have your child make up a story using some or all of the items in their story.

Have your child pick out an object at random and tell or write something about it.

Leave the basket out for your child to discover. Change it out when it no longer seems to hold their attention.

Bring a story basket along on car trips, while running errands, waiting at the doctor’s office, and waiting in restaurants.

Allow your child to choose the book/items and YOU continue the story.

Some of our favorite preschool to early elementary books that lend themselves well to story baskets are:

• If You give a Pig a Pancake
• Goodnight Moon
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar
• The Gruffalo
• Fairy Tales
• Bible Stories

I’ve been doing this for years with my daughters and they are always a hit. We take a delight-directed approach in our homeschool, so I build story baskets and unit studies based on their interests. It’s like a treasure chest of learning centered around great books!

Have you used story baskets? Let us know in the comments!

Sara is a homeschooling mom of three girls. She writes at Heart and Soul Homeschooling, sharing ideas for learning that encourage creativity, curiosity, character, and connection. She is an author, speaker, and homeschool consultant. You can find her on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and her Amazon author page.

Check out more Summer Reading Ideas!

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School vacations, when you are freed from the constraints of busy schedules, is a great time to explore the world together through literature. Diverse children’s books can help provide a window into other ways of life, explaining differences but also allowing children to understand that we have much more in common than we realize.

Reading books about other cultures can:

• encourage children who don’t often see themselves represented in books
• foster empathy with those who may at first seem different
• reduce bullying by teaching respect for others
• spark curiosity about other ways of life
• raise awareness about challenges others may face

Travel the World Through Books This Summer

Now that you are excited to travel the world through books with your kids, you may be wondering how to get started! Here are some questions to consider when you are looking for quality multicultural books for children:

• Does the book include people of color or characters from other cultures/nationalities? (Even better, are these main characters, not just supporting ones?)
• Does the book rely on stereotypes or help break them down?
• Does the author come from the culture they are writing about, or have deep personal knowledge of it?

The great news is that your local library is a treasure trove of diverse literature that you and your family can dive into this summer. Your children’s librarian can help get you started, plus we have compiled diverse summer reading recommendations from bloggers around the world! This annual book list is sorted by age group, so you can be sure to find books perfect for you and your kiddos. Follow along this summer, plus be sure to visit the summer reading lists we have been creating since 2015!

Books are a wonderful jumping off point for exploring other cultures. Once your child’s curiosity is piqued, you can explore further. You might, for example, sample foods or make crafts from that culture, or trying to connect locally with neighbors who are from that area.

Want to raise a curious child who is respectful of others? Head to your local library and travel the world through books! Through reading about other cultures, you can nurture a sense of wonder about the world as well as foster empathy for those that may at first seem different.

What country would you like to explore through books with your kids this summer? Let us know in the comments!

Leanna is a homeschooler with three sweet, funny, rambunctious children. She and her husband, who is from Costa Rica, are raising their children to be bilingual and bicultural but more importantly to be “world citizens.” Leanna is the founder of Multicultural Kid Blogs and also maintains her personal blog, All Done Monkey

Check out More Summer Reading Ideas Here!

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Most of the time once we’ve moved on from a particular chapter or page, we wouldn’t dare even think about going back to it to see what we’ve missed. When we don’t look backwards in books, we miss key details. Therefore, we’re only getting a piece of the entire puzzle of the material that we’ve previously read.

Summer Reading Strategy: Read Those Missed Pages For More Information

Homeschooling 7 children is definitely no easy task. We do a lot of group reading and have many oral discussions. Since so much time is spent on those particular areas, we tend to skip some things in our reading at the moment that we don’t deem to be useful or helpful to our discussion or assignment.

Once the summer time rolls around, I often think of reading material that I feel my kids would enjoy in those 2 months that we lighten our school load. Summer reading is a great way for them to keep their knowledge of vocabulary and comprehension skills sharp.

One day a light bulb went off for me as I pondered a summer reading list for them. Why not just have them use the same books for the summer that we used during reading class? Nothing extra to buy and nothing extra to assign that they weren’t already familiar with. Perfect idea. For example, in history we’d covered the Middle Ages in 2 chapters in our book. I didn’t find it to be relevant at the time to cover the list of wars or the endless list of names of people listed that went over and beyond the few people we’d already covered.

The perfect time to read and learn the list would be the summer months. They could also flip back and read the chapter we skipped about a lot of wars in the past. We’d covered almost 10 in class, but hey, learning more during the summer wouldn’t hurt at all.

In science we had skimmed our chapters on oceans because we’d studied them in the past. Well, I had them to go back and read about the various underwater volcanoes and formation of islands because we didn’t cover that part in class. Since the children were already familiar with a bit of oceanography, them going back to read the missed information was pertinent to completing their mental picture about oceans. There were a lot of interesting facts that they came to me with and discussed once they went back to read the pages independently.

In our literature class, we’d studied a few poets from the southern part of the US. The children were delighted to flip through their poetry books and read about the few poets that we didn’t cover. That led to them looking into their biographies of those famous writers. My kids even took it upon themselves to go and find books that we didn’t complete a few years ago and chose their own pages to read over. It was amazing how much initiative that they took to read without my input.

LEARN NEW DETAILS IN SUMMER READING

I couldn’t believe all of the little facts and details that we missed in our plight of trying to get school done and touch on all the basic skills. It’s a simple process. I told my kids to “Go find the books that we used in class and find the skipped chapters.” From that little instruction, they became totally independent readers in those moments that it was too hot to play outside. They were reading books that I had forgotten all about. It’s worked wonders for us and keeps the kids constantly learning new facts and new words.

We now do oral reviews after they’ve read something new and their recall is amazing. They see me involved but in a way they’re choosing what to learn. We use summer reading to serve 2 purposes; Read for information and read to complete the lessons from before. I will never change the way we do summer reading at our house now. It’s perfect for our family.

Can you think of a way to utilize those skipped reading sections in your child’s summer reading? I’d love to read your replies in the comment section. Thanks so much for reading this!

Tal Hoover is the founder of Blessed Grove Homeschooling and Academy. She is a professional educator, curriculum writer and homeschooling mother of 7 children. Her spare time is spent creating and publishing educational resources and operating her small baking business. She has over 14 years of home education under her belt, and nearly a decade of experience in tutoring, online education, and writing. Tal specializes in teaching Biblical and world history, multicultural studies, comparative religions, art history, and of course, professional artisan cookie decorating. She has a bachelor’s degree in Leadership and also holds multiple certificates. Mission work, mentoring and empowering not only her own family, but others is her top priority. She loves connecting with those that are seeking to educate their own children and become entrepreneurs to promote self-sufficiency.

blessedgrovehomeschooling.com
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Some days you need to kick things up a notch, and one of the best ways to do that is by adding a little excitement to your summer reading.

Now, I’m going to assume that you don’t completely suspend all learning during the summer months. In our home, we have to keep the semblance of a routine for sanity’s sake. We can be lazy and enjoy summer for a few days, but then chaos sets in, the house is trashed, and no one has clean underwear. So, we opt to keep a general routine going during the summer.

3 Summer Reading Tips

One of the parts of our homeschool that stays with us all year round is reading. During the regular homeschool year, we are a part of a book club.

The kids read a novel each month and then meet for a “party school” to celebrate the book. But in the summer, those book clubs are suspended, and the enticement to read just isn’t as strong. So, over the years we’ve come up with some creative ways to add some excitement to our summer reading plan.

Head Down a Rabbit Trail

Have you ever read a book and the character mentions something in passing, and you wonder what they were talking about?

This happens to the kids often when they are reading books set in different cultures or different time periods. They would often stop in the middle of the family read aloud to ask questions, which lead to mini-investigations. We would look up the particular topic, and it would invariably lead us down a new “rabbit trail” of discovery. Many times we would get lost on this exploration for days. And, it was all because we “read it in a book.”

1. Summer Reading Tip:

Look for topics that might be interesting to investigate in your current reading. Listen to the questions your kids ask and feed their curiosity by going down your own rabbit trail.

Add a Little Magic Dust

Think back on your school days. What’s your earliest memory?

One of my earliest memories was in first grade. The entire class headed to the school cafeteria kitchen. We mixed water and salt until it dissolved and then we put it in an aluminum pie pan. The pie pan was then placed on a hot stove burner. We watched as the water evaporated, and the salt reappeared. At least, this is what I remember happening. I can still smell the air as the water heated. I can see the pan clearly in my mind, and I remember the principle well.

Hands-on activities that let children participate in their learning are great ways to help kids remember important principles. Just like my first-grade science experiment, kids can focus on the “how” and “why” and better learn the “rule.” You can do the same with a good book.

2. Summer Reading Tip:

Look through the book your child is reading. Are there foods mentioned that you could teach them to cook? What science experiment could you use to show why or how something worked in the book? Did your characters notice the trees, plants or animals around them? Could you go on a nature hunt for some of those mentioned?

Celebrate the Book and Its Characters

We have a rule in our house: you can’t see the movie until you’ve read the book. I’m adamant about it; my husband is a little lax. The point is that it is a way to create enthusiasm for a book. Don’t those previews look awesome? Well, let’s read the book and then have a family fun night at the movies!

Sometimes we all need to be inspired to read a good book. Maybe it’s not a genre we usually enjoy. Perhaps we’re just being lazy and want to watch YouTube videos all day. Whatever the reason, a little celebration can go a long way. So after each book we read, we have a “party school” and celebrate the book.

3. Summer Reading Tip:

What kind of fun snacks does your book inspire? Can you decorate like the era or setting? Do you have clothes you could use to dress up like the characters? Choose something the character did and see if you can replicate the idea at home.

It’s Summer, Take it Easy

By adding a little excitement to your summer reading, you can keep the summer fun and your home drama-free (well, it won’t help the mountain of dirty dishes or laundry, but you get the point). But, don’t let adding excitement become overwhelming to you as a mom. You don’t have to be elaborate, and you don’t have to do everything I mentioned. Just take a day or two to throw in a fun activity.

And, if you want to take it really easy, I’ve got you covered. Hop on over to Literary Adventures for Kids and check out our selection of online family book clubs. Just pick a book, and I have done all the work for you. Find rabbit trails, magic dust, and party school ideas at your fingertips. Your kids can even work through them independently.

No matter what you choose to do, remember that a little excitement can go a long way. Your kids will remember these moments more than they will their current YouTube sensation, and you will enjoy the way their faces light up.

Dachelle is a working homeschooling mom of 3 in the South. She is the owner of Hide The Chocolate, a blog about her adventures in homeschooling and parenting. She is also the author of dozens of online book clubs for kids from preschool to high school at her site Literary Adventures for Kids. You can often find her reading a good book (or even sometimes just an okay book) and enjoying a jar of Nutella — don’t judge. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest

Check out More Summer Reading Ideas Here!

The post 3 Summer Reading Tips to Add Excitement! first appeared on True Aim.

It wasn’t until my 2nd son was born that I realized how much of an impact reading had on my children. He was my preemie; NICU baby! I knew that he might have some developmental delays so I read about some of my options. Early intervention, therapy, special programs, those were all available, but I was short on time and finances.

Also, my other 2yr-old-son wasn’t speaking very much. He didn’t really say many sentences and his words were limited, especially the pronunciation of those words. My husband was really worried about him actually!

Fast forward 4 yrs later and that son who was slow to speak has been a state chess champion 2 yrs in a row. He was 20th out of 100 kids grades k-6! He out-thought children twice his age who have been playing for more years than he has been alive! His math skills are way above his level, doing multiplication and double digit addition in his head. More importantly, he LOVES to read!

My preemie is right on track! He just turned 4 and knows all his letters, counts to 30, can do simple addition, and brings me books throughout the day to read to him.

ALL of this because I did the research and was able to come up with some awesome strategies to help me read MORE with my kids and inspire them to love it at the same time! You can watch the replay of my FREE class here if you want to know:

• Why you should make reading a priority in your home!
• How to hack your schedule to make room for more reading!
• Incentives that work!
• How to pick the BEST books for your kids!

Click here to watch the free training.

Raising Raving Readers Challenge

If you already know how important it is, but you want to make a commitment to read MORE, I’ve put together an amazing challenge for you!

The Raising Raving Readers Challenge is a 4-week read-a-thon! This is the ONE thing that will help make raising a reader funner, easier and with better results! You’ll get access to the knowledge I’ve gained over 4 yrs of research and have a supportive community to help you reach your goals. There will be fun prizes and giveaways too!

Here’s everything that is included in this amazing challenge!

• Week 1 Challenge: Schedule & Goals (30 page book list and a scheduling worksheet)
• Week 2 Challenge: Reward Systems (printables)
• Week 3 Challenge: Magical Reading Spaces (before and afters, ideas, how to)
• Week 4 Challenge: Reading Time Hacks Q&A (live consultation call)
• Online Storytimes (for younger & older children)
• Private Facebook Community
• Weekly Giveaways

This challenge is a $150 value! However for this year only we are offering it for just $75! But WAIT! It gets even better! Watch the replay of my FREE class and you’ll get a code for $50 off!

That makes the challenge just $25! It’s an AMAZING value that we will never offer again! Don’t miss out on this once a year event! Sign ups end 5/24!

You can also choose to join our Book Club in addition to the challenge and get 3 award winning, age appropriate books each month for 3 months (June, July, August) from Usborne and Kane Miller publishing!

Click here to sign up today!

The post The ONE thing you NEED to help Raise a Reader! first appeared on True Aim.

When children enter school they are excited about reading and learning to read! However, with each grade their interest in reading drops dramatically. Why is this?

What does NOT reading to your child do?

The main culprit is that parents and teachers STOP reading to them. Reading becomes a chore for children.

They only do it to get by and get a good grade or please their teacher. They no longer associate reading with enjoyable one-on-one time. They are mandated to read material that they don’t like or that is beyond their reading level and reading begins to lose it’s magic.

How sad is that?

More importantly, what does a decreasing interest in reading do to them? The more children dislike reading, the more they dislike learning.

10 effects NOT reading can have on our children!

Here are 10 ways NOT reading to your child can have an affect on their future.

1. Reading to children at a young age helps the brain develop, not reading to your child causes the brain to develop less and can lead them to have smaller brains. (1)
2. Children who aren’t read to have lower language comprehension, smaller vocabularies, and lower cognitive skills than their peers. (2)
3. Children with less access to books and other print materials express less enjoyment of books, reading, and academics. (3)
4. Without the nurturing and one-on-one attention from parents during reading aloud children DON’T form a positive association with books and reading later in life. (4)
5. Across the nation just under half of children between birth and five years (47.8%) are read to every day by their parents or other family members. (5)
6. 37% of children arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning.(6)
7. Surveys of adolescents and young adults with criminal records show that about half have reading difficulties. Similarly, about half of youths with a history of substance abuse have reading problems. (7)
8. The less reading materials there are in the home, the lower students are in reading proficiency, according to the Educational Testing Service. (8)
9. Where parent involvement is low, the classroom mean average reading score is 44 points below the national average. (9)
10. Among those who reach adulthood with the lowest level of literacy proficiency, 43% live in poverty. Among those who have strong literacy skills, only 4% live in poverty. (10)

I don’t say this to make anyone feel guilty for what they can’t do. I’m a busy mom myself and there are so many things on my plate. Sometimes the last thing I was to do at night is read to my kids.

However, I know that there is something simple I CAN do to give them what they need to succeed in life. It doesn’t cost a lot of money, it doesn’t have to take a lot of time (check out the free class at the bottom to learn more). I share this to give parents the hope that they have this amazing tool to use to bless their children!

In fact, studies show that reading aloud is the best way to help children develop word mastery and grammatical understanding even more than having conversations with them.

Reading is essential for everything in life, and studies show that children who read more, find more success. Currently 65% of America’s fourth graders do not read at a proficient level. This has huge implications on the future of our society!

Want to impact your children in a BIG way?! READ!

Join our FREE online class to learn how to raise children who LOVE to read!

1. De Bellis, M.D., Keshaven, M.S., Clark,D.B., Caseey, B.J., Giedd, J.B., Boring,A.M., Frustaci, K., & Ryan, N.D. (1999).Developmental traumatology.Part 2: Brain development. BiologicalPsychiatry, 45, 1271-1284.
2. Raikes, H., Pan, B.A., Luze, G.J., Tamis-LeMonda, C.S.,Brooks-Gunn, J., Constantine,J., Tarullo, L.B., Raikes, H.A., Rodriguez, E. (2006). “Mother-child book reading in low-income families: Correlates and outcomes during the first three years of life.” Child Development, 77(4).
3. Children’s Access to Print Material and Education Related Outcomes.
4. Reach Out and Read, Archives of Disease in Childhood, Reading Aloud to Children: The Evidence, 2008.
5. Russ S, Perez V, Garro N, Klass P, Kuo AA, Gershun M, Halfon N, Zuckerman B. Reading Across the Nation: A Chartbook (2007): Reach Out and Read National Center, Boston, MA .
6. Landry, S. H. (2005). Effective Early Childhood Programs: Turning Knowledge Into Action. Houston, TX: University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston.
7. National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities. (1998). Children with reading disability. Washington, D.C.: Robert Bock.
8. Educational Testing Service, 1999. America’s Smallest School: The Family.
9. U.S. Department of Education. 1996. Reading Literacy in the United States: Findings From the IEA Reading Literacy Study.
10. Literacy in the Labor Force: Results from the National Adult Literacy Survey. National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 1999. [link: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=1999470]

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Join my FREE online class and I’ll teach you the secrets to learning that app companies don’t want you to know! You’ll learn:

• Frightening statistics that everyone should be talking about
• What happens to your child’s brain when you read to them
• How to encourage reluctant readers
• How to pick the BEST books!
• How to read more with NO extra time!

This class is only offered ONCE so don’t wait to sign up! Reserve your spot in the class before it fills up. 

Click here to sign up!

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