independent reading - Outside the Box Learners

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My son was 6 1/2 when we started having some concern over his inability to sound out basic words such as c-a-t and d-o-g. Truthfully, I was not as worried as my husband, but it begged the question…

Was the answer MORE reading instruction?

To me, that idea was ~~not ideal~~ painful. We had already been reading the same beginner Bob books over and over and were getting NOWHERE.

By that point, I had read enough and heard other homeschool moms say the same thing: Sometimes they just need time. However, when you’re in the thick of it, you sometimes start to worry.

About a year prior, a friend had introduced me to Carole Joy Seid’s philosophy. She even lent me Carole Joy Seid’s DVD series to watch. What Carole had to say made so much sense, but was unlike anything I had heard before.

If you’ve never heard of Carole Joy Seid, she’s a homeschool consultant who has been around a while. The DVD series of hers that I watched was called Homeschool Made Simple.

And really that is her mission – to make things easier for moms so they can not only survive but SUCCEED. She has much wisdom to offer, and at that time my husband I agreed that I should pursue a consulting session with her.

Homeschool Advice

Carole gave me lots of wonderful homeschooling advice during that phone call, but one piece of advice really stuck out and helped lay a foundation for my 6 1/2-year-old son.

The piece of advice: Stop the reading instruction and just read aloud to him.

She offered advice as to when to start up again and what to do if he still wasn’t ready when we did try again.

After that call, I had a plan and felt empowered.

Because we had just moved to WI, we still did not know anyone, were not yet part of a co-op (or any activities for that matter), and we had plenty of time to read aloud together. And that we did.

Shortly after his 7th birthday, something clicked. And out of nowhere, he was on the turbo track to becoming an amazing reader. Within a month, not only was he reading but he was reading chapter books! I realize that’s not most peoples’ story, but that is his, and I am happy to share in case it might encourage someone else.

Why the decision to stop reading instruction was a gift.

My son, now nine, is not only an amazing reader, but he LOVES to read. All kinds of things. Fiction, non-fiction, history, newspapers, anything and EVERYTHING weather, you name it – he’ll read it!

I believe those months of just reading together WITHOUT THE STRESS of being forced to do something his brain was just not ready to do, laid a foundation for a LOVE for reading. And that is a gift he has for LIFE!

stopping reading instruction — Reading about his favorite topic – WEATHER!

*If you’re feeling overwhelmed by homeschooling and looking for simplicity, Homeschool Made Simple is a great place to start!

**The point of this post is not to promote forgoing reading instruction, but rather point out the beauty and power of reading aloud to our youngsters, and also not pushing them before they’re ready!

What do you do when you have a younger child who is a voracious reader? When they still can’t tie their shoes yet can read a novel a few years above their grade level. When they’re capable of reading and understand bigger words but still need a relatively innocent storyline.

I can tell you what I did. I went SEARCHING for books that would be appropriate for their maturity level but still challenging enough to keep them interested. Which by the way, is not the easiest task.

My daughter taught herself to read at the age of 5 and sped through books. It became apparent that she needed more than basic picture books (though she still liked them!) My son was a little bit later (started reading around age 7) but went straight from hardly sounding out words like c-a-t and d-o-g to reading chapter books.

This post is all about the books my kids read (and LOVED) in their early years of independent reading. There were plenty of other books that I did not include here. These were the ones that were read over and over and OVER again – our time-tested, and well-loved favorites!

This post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost to you).

The Littles by John Peterson

New to me, these were our daughter’s favorite first chapter books and were read countless times by her independently. Telling the story of tiny 6-inch people living within the walls of a family’s (The Bigg’s) house, “The Littles” are delightful and fast-moving chapter books full of adventure. The books are relatively short. This picture does not include all the books.

The Ramona Books by Beverly Cleary

Ahhh Beverly Cleary. The name alone brings a smile to my face. Takes me back 30 years… The Ramona books were some of MY favorites when I was a kid. Really anything Beverly Cleary is good. Other books not listed here that would be perfect for young advanced readers are The Mouse and the Motorcycle and Socks. (Ramona Forever is missing from this picture)

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

I recently discovered Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is part of a whole series! Oh how I wish I had known that when my daughter was younger! Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is an entertaining character who uses imaginative techniques to engage children and help them correct their attitudes and deal with responsibility.

When our oldest was 6 she came bursting into the room telling us her brother was being impudent. When asked what the word meant (which she knew) and how she knew, she replied simply, “I learned it from Mrs. Piggle-wiggle.” Fun times. 🙂

**Make sure to get the ORIGINAL Mrs. Piggle-Wiggles (linked above)

Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White

My son gravitated towards these novels. Obviously, Charlotte’s Web is a beloved classic. Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan are lesser known but still well-loved. All of these novels have lots of heart. (Stuart Little not pictured… I couldn’t find it when I was taking the pictures. We have books all over the house and they’re not as organized as I’d like!)

Magic School Bus Books

These Magic School Bus books were pored over by our science-loving daughter for a couple of years. What I love about them is the pictures combined with bite-sized, yet highly informative, pieces of text. The characters all have unique personalities which definitely creates more interest than your typical non-fiction book. These were a great investment!

These are our tried and true chapter books for young independent readers. I’m looking forward to pulling these out for my youngest eventually. He’s not quite there yet but I am prepared for when he gets there!

What are your favorite books for advanced young readers? Are they on this list or not?