We all want our kids to be readers.

Not just kids who can read, but kids who actually do read. Who then grow up and keep choosing to read because they want to, not because they have to.

But there’s a curious thing that those of us who care deeply about raising lifelong readers tend to do, which is to treat our kids’ reading lives in exactly the opposite way that adult readers actually read.

We choose all their books. We tell them how long to read for. We ask them questions to prove to us that they read and understood the story. We make them write essays to prove their comprehension even further. And somehow, we expect that when no one is making them do any of this anymore, they’ll choose to pick up a book for the joy of it.

So today, I want us to think about this differently. Instead of asking, “How do I get my kids to read,” let’s ask the question, “What do real, lifelong readers actually do?”

Then give our kids more chances to do those things.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why letting your kids develop their taste by choosing their own books is part of their becoming lifelong readers
• The question to ask yourself when you’re considering what reading to require of your kids
• How to gauge comprehension without making conversation a pop quiz

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/lifelong-readers

The heart of homeschooling is relationships. Building meaningful, lasting connections is the real secret sauce of reading aloud with your kids. Those connections are also built when you spend time in nature together.

Sounds simple, right? Read books. Go outside. But it can also feel like yet another thing to add to your already packed to-do list. How do we make time in our already full days to get outside with our kids?

We’ve got an absolute treat for you today on the show. Ginny Yurich, the founder of the global 1000 Hours Outside movement, is here to talk about how families can bring the transformative power of nature into their everyday lives.

She candidly shares her journey from indoorsy kid to overwhelmed mama to the fall afternoon that planted the seed of 1000 Hours Outside. We also dig into the benefits of spending time in nature, and of course, practical strategies for spending more time outside.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The lifelong physical, social, emotional, and academic benefits of spending time outside
• How accessible 1000 hours really is
• Practical ways to get more time outdoors, how to engage older kids, and why it doesn’t have to be that complicated

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/ginny-yurich

Over the past few months on the podcast, we’ve talked a lot about how reading aloud benefits kids academically, how it develops their resilience, empathy, and virtue, and even reduces physiological stress. Today on the show, we’re diving into the flip side of reading: writing.

Without writing, we’d have no stories to read. But creating books to share with others isn’t the only reason why writing is so important. Writing also has tremendous benefits to the person sitting down and putting words on a page.

In this episode, Audrey and I talk about some of the many reasons to invite your kids –– and yourself! –– to write and we’ll share a few of our favorite exercises and tips for getting everyone’s creativity flowing.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why creativity is available to every single one of us, even if we wouldn’t consider ourselves to be artists
• How writing helps us slow down, notice details, cultivate attention and presence, and uncover what we’re thinking even when life is busy and messy
• How writing, like reading, has the power to connect and transform us

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/why-we-write