Today I am writing about a topic that could probably have a whole separate blog: reading aloud to kids!

When I was young, I was fortunate to have parents who read aloud to me. First board books (like But Not The Hippopotamus!), then picture books (Remember the Little Critter series?), then, chapter books!

My mom often read Nancy Drew mysteries aloud to my sister and me. I remember her describing the word “titian” (pronounced TISH-uhn) to us, because we had never heard it. It is a very specific memory, because I have never heard the word titian used since, and never seen it in print besides those books! Nancy is described as a young woman with “titian hair,” which is a coppery brown color. Nancy and her friends Bess and George would get into all sort of mishaps! I have many memories of us relaxing on my parents’ bed, listening to the riveting details of those mystery stories.

My First Chapter Book Read Aloud, As A Mom

When my oldest son was three, about to turn four, he was a voracious “listener,” I like to say. We brought him to the library weekly (sometimes more!) and he loved being read to. I am a huge fan of the Chronicles of Narnia series, and kept thinking to myself that winter that I bet he would love The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. I started explaining little tidbits about the book to him at night, when I would tuck him in. He was very interested!

I thought, what the heck, what if I just tried reading him the actual book? Worst case scenario is, he isn’t quite ready, and that’s totally ok. I decided to take a shot.

To my surprise and delight, he loved it. At first, I edited the text a bit as I read, just making simple vocabulary changes when necessary. Since the author, C.S. Lewis, was Irish (but studied, worked and lived in England), there were always some words in British English that I would explain to him or sometimes just substitute. For example: “corridor” versus hallway, “mad” versus crazy, “cross” versus upset, “row” versus disagreement. After awhile though, I tried doing that less, to see if he could manage it. Thanks to the quality of the story itself, it didn’t end up being as necessary as I thought!

Scaffolding & Zone of Proximal Development

Every once in awhile, I will remember a term I learned in one of my college Elementary Education courses. Thinking back to those, I remember learning being more abstract–as learning sometimes is, if you aren’t actually practicing the skill.

As I studied to be a teacher, the collegiate classes themselves were helpful, but were of course more based on theory, than practice. We had practicums each year of college, going from tutoring to (eventually) student teaching, so the practical application was helpful. However, as with most things in life, you learn the most by doing! And there isn’t much better practice than teaching your own kids.

Two terms I remember, specifically from exams, are scaffolding, and “zone of proximal development.” We learned these terms while studying Lev Vygotsky, who was a developmental psychologist. He proposed that scaffolding is providing leveled support for students, while they are learning new concepts or skills. As time passes, you can remove the assistance, or “scaffolds,” and let them soar. Scaffolding sort of bridges the gap between a student’s potential and their ability. You want to teach in a way mindful of the student’s zone of proximal development, which is the sweet spot, or place where they can receive new information, assimilate it, and apply it to real life–without becoming overwhelmed. You can read more about these educational concepts, here!

Narnia Was “In The Zone”

Looking back now, I can see that The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe was in my son’s “zone of proximal development,” and that the way I introduced the book, explained the plot ahead of time, stopped to explain special vocabulary and generally just shared the book with him, were all examples of scaffolding!

By chance, the first chapter book I chose to read to him aloud was in his “zone.” Had I chosen a book that was outside of his zone, he probably would have become bored or frustrated with listening, and that is never what you want!

Using Zone of Proximal Development in your Homeschool

The experience reading Narnia to my young son was one of my first real-life realizations of the zone of proximal development with my own kids. It is a concept I now keep in mind almost constantly, as I have had more kids to parent, and now homeschool!

It is so important to keep a pulse on your child’s abilities, receptiveness to learning a particular topic, and potential for growth. These things, as well as general mindfulness about their age, development and emotional state, will serve you well as you gage their learning potential each day.

Lastly, this topic just reminds me to not underestimate my kids! It’s a fine line to tow: providing them with rich, engaging learning experiences that are in their zone, without going too far with it, expecting so much you crush them, or overwhelm them.

Kids can often handle more than you think they can, especially if it’s presented in a relational way. That is one of the best perks of homeschooling: learning can be more personal, intentional, and connections can be made more frequently.

How about you? Have you ever noticed a particular book or activity that is clearly in (or not in!) your child’s zone of proximal development? I’d love to hear.

With love,

Cait