Homeschool : Our 10 AM Read-Aloud, Snack, and Recess Time

When my boys were in elementary school, we had a 10 AM read-aloud, snack, and recess time. This was one of our favorite times during the virtual school day because we got to cozy up on the couch and enjoy some wonderful stories together.

I remember having circle time in elementary school. Some of my favorite teachers would have rug squares that we could get and then put on the floor. We would get to enjoy listening to some stories and have time away from our desks.  

Since this was a fond memory for me, I wanted to find a way to recreate this at home during our homeschool time.  

After a few hours of sitting at the kitchen table or working on the computer doing school, the boys were ready for a change of scenery. I could tell because they would get fidgety and wiggly in their chairs. It was time to have our read aloud and snack time.

Preparing for the Read Aloud Time 

Gather up the books: During our read-aloud time, I would look at what the literature assignments were for the boys. I would grab both of the books for them, which would be different because they were in different grades. If there wasn’t one assigned for the day, the kids would choose their reading material. If we were reading a chapter book in one of their classes, I would get that ready.  

Prepare the Snacks: We would eat on the couch, so I needed to make sure that there were non-sticky snacks available for the boys. I usually had pretzels available. Sometimes I would use my air popper to make popcorn. They loved eating that during snack time! I tried to avoid things like granola bars because they didn’t fit into the bowls, and I would end up with crumbs all over the couch.

Get Cozy: This was definitely my favorite part of the read-aloud time. I would sit in the middle, with a boy on either side. Usually, our pets would join us as well. We had a cat who would find a lap and enjoy some petting from the boys. When we got our beagles, they were happy to join us and nibble on any crumbs that might fall from the boys’ lips. The boys would grab their blankets to snuggle under, and sometimes I would start a fire.

Structure of the Read-Aloud Time

I would start reading with the younger child’s material. I wanted to make sure that I had his full attention during this time, so I prioritized his books. As my older son got more confident in his reading, sometimes I would ask him if he wanted to participate and read aloud. Since it was his second time through the book, he was already familiar with the story. It was a good time for him to practice his reading.

Then, I would move on to my older son’s literature for the day. We would read through the material together. Sometimes, my younger son would stay and listen, and other times he would run off and begin his recess. This would give me just a little longer with Ken to make sure we got through his material.

After we were done with the reading, I would ask the boys some of the comprehension and analysis questions that the curriculum recommended. I was able to find these in the learning coach guides. The curriculum included student pages for the boys to write down their responses, create a summary, or analyze something in the book.  

Most days, I would have the boys do that work orally. I was able to assess their comprehension easily by asking them questions. If I thought one of the activities was pretty fun, we would do that. But, in general, we did much of the literature work out loud. There were times that the teachers wanted a written sample, so we would do that, but most of the time, the goal was to see if the child had mastered the material.

Recess Time

After we were done with the read-aloud time and the boys had finished the snacks, they got to take a morning recess together.

I usually had this recess last about half an hour. They would run upstairs and play legos or have a nerf battle.

I would take this time to make sure that I had recorded the morning lessons in the Online School. If there were math cubes left out from the math in the morning, I would get those back in the boxes.  

I also used this morning recess time to work on some of my homemaking chores. If I hadn’t emptied the dishwasher yet, I would get to that. This was also a good time to get dinner in the crockpot.  

It was also a good time for me to look ahead to see what the rest of the school day had in store for us. Our school day was organized so that math and language arts happened in the morning. I wanted to make sure that these lessons were done while the kids were most alert.  

After our recess time, I would make sure that we finished up the core subjects and got started on some of the other subjects.

Phasing Out the 10 AM Read-Aloud Time

As my older son entered middle school, we began to phase out this read aloud time. He was working more independently and needed the 10 AM time to work through his lessons.  

The schoolwork got more time consuming, and their attention spans increased. The boys were able to get through the morning of school without a break.  

They would still want to grab a snack, but then they would take it to the couch themselves and read their books independently.

Now, I will occasionally find the boys taking a break from their desks to do school on the couch with one of their beagles. 

I look back fondly to our 10 AM read aloud and snack breaks. It was one of my favorite parts of the homeschool day. As you look through your virtual school day, how can you create a special time with your kids that you all will enjoy?