Reading at the end of the day

In recent months I've started turning away from reading board books to the girls at night and have started spending more time reading chapter books. Instead of cuddling on the couch to read a huge stack of books, we brush teeth first and then head to their cozy bedroom. C climbs into bed and I pull out a puzzle for Little L.

While C can completely sit through an entire chapter with no pictures, Little L gets much too squirmy and whiny for my tastes. She works on her puzzle and listens to the story; little hands busy enough to let the story flow uninterrupted.

I was an avid reader as a kid - still am really - and I love that C is getting into these chapter books. I started by focusing on classics like Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, but recently we've been reading stories about girls just like mine - spunky, funny, and always sure they're behaving just right even when they're not. Juny B Jones and Clementine are our current favorites, but I'm expanding our horizons and loving discovering this new genre.

C is learning to read. She can already sound out basic board books and I see in the not so distant future the time when she'll be reading these books to herself. But for now I'm treasuring those quiet moments in their room, with Little L at my feet and C lying beside me, as I share stories of girls just like them.

This post was sponsored by Kabongo, a wonderful online world of brain-boosting games for reading, in support of developing reading skills in kids.