Be honest. Reading aloud is something we think most teen boys are NOT going to enjoy.

I'm here to tell you they ARE and that it is IMPORTANT to continue to read aloud to our boys as they enter their teen years.

Especially if you homeschool, I don't want you to miss tending to your teen's heart - and reading aloud is the perfect way to make connections, spark conversation, and simply spend time together.

Reading aloud is also one of many ways I'm fighting for my son's heart - and it's turning out to be such a blessing.

I'm sure you've had that magical read-aloud moment, haven't you? The one when a fabulous connection is made, or when everyone is laughing out loud and you look around and realize how wonderful this time you are sharing together is.

Those moments matter. They seem to matter MORE as our children age, because we realize they are precious few.

Read-aloud to your teen boys. You won't be sorry you did!

Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN -- I love searching out lovely bookstores to find recommendations for read-alouds!

How to Encourage Reading Aloud

I've had to be intentional about reading aloud. From carving out the time to researching and choosing engaging books, it's been an investment well worth making.

Set a time each day to read aloud. We read aloud each morning during breakfast. It's a way to ease into the day - the house is quiet and there is something conducive about early morning and reading.
Make reading aloud a team effort. My son and I take turns reading aloud. He's a bit of a goof (as am I!) and we love reading books where we can use our best voices and ham it up. When my son reads aloud it is also a good chance for me to train him in his speaking habits. (If you have younger children in the house perhaps your teen can read aloud to them.)
Give your teen a choice of books and play to their interests. I have a few stacks of books (that I have already researched) and allow my son to choose which books we will read. I've included books that I know will interest him - based on his current obsession. Ownership is huge at this age! Don't be afraid to include some "meaty" books, too - we tackled The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn last year and my guy loved it! Include biographies, fiction and nonfiction, and other genres, too.
It's all about the food. Yes, I know, this is bribery. But it works. Food is my son's love language, so if there is a steady supply of food the read-aloud time goes well. I have lots of different breakfast foods on hand - when the kids were younger I always had some fun snack that was just for read-aloud time.
Model reading. You know I'm a HUGE reader, as is my husband. Reading is a lifestyle, so it isn't anything out of the ordinary to sit down and read a book together.

Included below are many of the books that have been a HIT in our house, including some that are in the TBR (to be read) stack as well. There are probably a bazillion more titles that would captivate your teen boy; these are just a few to get you started.

I hope you find some books that bless your time with your teenage son.

I'm cheering you on!

Oh -- and here's my teen boy in case you were wondering. He's now 6'2" and eats like a horse (sometimes we read aloud with donuts!).

Do you read aloud to your teen boy? Is there a book you can add to our list? Leave it in the comments below!

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Three Reasons to Read

Books Series for Middle School Boys

Increased reading is one of the marvelous by-products of homeschooling your children.

Increased reading ALOUD, but also increased personal reading, have benefitted my life and my children's lives in so many ways.

Last night, as I began the latest book in my stack (one I've been waiting to get my hands on for several weeks now), it hit me what a blessing reading has been the past couple of years.

I'm a bit obsessed with books, y'all.

Last year's reading resolution went well. I changed my reading habits and completed 50 books in the year. I felt a change in my life, in my demeanor, attention span, and cravings. It was GOOD.

This year I'm on pace to read MANY more than that. I've officially caught the reading bug. Television, Pinterest, and other activities have gone by the wayside so I can make time for good books.

My life (and my family's life) is being enriched in so many ways.

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

— Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice

Why do we read?

More specifically, why does a HOMESCHOOL MOM (for whom time is in short supply and quite precious) devote so much time to books?

I've narrowed it down to three reasons - of course, there could be more, but these seem to encompass it for me.

We Read To Learn and Model Learning

Homeschool moms love learning (probably more than their children - ha!). We read to keep up with our children and to be able to expose them to new ideas. We want to have intelligent dinner table conversations, be able to answer our children's questions, and model that spirit of learning.

I have always strewn books around the house to inspire reading.

We Read to Make Memories and Form Connections

I read aloud A LOT to my children - they are teens and I STILL read aloud to them!

Yes, I count the books I read aloud to my children as my own personal reading. There is something about reading aloud that is very satisfying, don't you agree?

Today my 16-year-old was reading Two Ways of Seeing a River - an excerpt from a novel by Mark Twain. I asked her if I could read it aloud to her, and as I did we both were mesmerized by the beauty of the language and Twain's incredible ability to paint us a picture of a river with his words.

Earlier in the day, I had been reading Huckleberry Finn aloud to my 13-year-old. (Now there's something FUN to read aloud - give it a try!)

“It was a dreadful thing to see. Humans beings can be awful cruel to one another.”

— Huckleberry Finn ~Mark Twain

The memories and magic that come from reading aloud with our children are irreplaceable.

This gem of a book was one I found in my mother's things. She passed away last summer and finding this book was a gift.

Read it, and you'll know what I mean.

As I was visiting my dad, I took an afternoon to read this book. What a treasure this book - and that time - was to me.

Three Reasons to Read and Quarterly Reading Update

We Read to Become Better People

Well-chosen books have a way of increasing our awareness of others and their life situations. We develop empathy and compassion as we read about a wide variety of people and situations.

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.”

— Joyce Carol Oates

Once again, so much of this comes back to my children. I read because I want to be better for THEM. I want to model these qualities for them. Homeschooling my children has refined me in so many ways - and my reading life is a by-product of that refinement.

Quarterly Reading Update

So, what have I read so far this year? Here's my list - I think it's a good mixture of classics, new releases, educational books, and just for fun, too.

And, in case you were wondering -- here are the top five of the year so far: