Read-Aloud Revival ®

Today, I am over the moon to welcome one of my very favorite guests back to the show. She’s been on the show and visited us in RAR Premium several times over the years and I always love our conversations. You know her as the author of some of your kids’ favorite books, like the Mercy Watson series, The Tale of Despereaux, and Because of Winn-Dixie. That’s right, Kate DiCamillo is back! She’s here...

There is a type of children’s book that we haven’t talked much about here in twelve years of Read-Aloud Revival. But it’s one that almost anyone who has spent time with babies knows well: board books. Board books are how so many of our kids meet stories and books for the first time. They’re often the first books babies and littles are able to really get their hands (and mouths!) on, and experience...

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 c...

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 g...

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...

Books are so much more than just a collection of words. They are lanterns that illuminate our lives in so many incredible ways. Today, I want to share a story with you about a group of women who also believed in the power of books to transform lives. So much so, that they were willing to endure quite a lot of hardship to get books into the hands of people who otherwise wouldn’t have had access to...

How long is your to-do list?  What if you added in all the extra shoulds and supposed-tos that you are in your head but you don’t even write down because that would be too overwhelming? How long is it then? It might feel a little cliché to talk about how busy we are. But I think it’s helpful to acknowledge that most of us are at least a little bit (or more) fried.  So why do we do this to ourselve...

Here at the Read-Aloud Revival, we’ve been asked more times than I can count to create virtue-based book lists. And I always say no. Today, our Creative Director (and my eldest daughter) Audrey is back with me to talk about why we don’t make lists of books that specifically set out to teach kids about kindness, honesty, or other virtues.  The reality is, all good books have a powerful capacity to...

 When you think about the various work that goes into making a children’s book, research probably isn’t at the top of your list.  It might not make it on your list at all! But research is often an essential part of the process. And I can tell you from personal experience that research can be a time-intensive, sometimes overwhelming, but often the most delightful task.  Today on the show, we’re hea...

When I mention Shakespeare, a lot of people immediately conjure up visions of high school English class, struggling through Julius Caesar line by line. Which is an absolute shame, because Shakespeare’s plays are meant to be experienced–performed, seen, heard, felt.   And experiencing Shakespeare with your kids is truly one of the most joyful things you can do together. Today, I’m returning to my c...

How do we homeschool high school? It’s *the* question, isn’t it? A lot of us go into homeschooling ready and excited for the younger years. Then as high school approaches, things start to feel… a little more complicated. To say the least. Navigating difficult subjects, transcripts, college applications, and alternatives to college if that isn’t a good fit for your child can be intimidating. It’s n...

One of the very best ways to travel with your children is through books. Physically travelling as a family isn’t always possible for a variety of reasons, but by reading with our kids, we give them the gift of windows into unfamiliar worlds. Stories develop empathy and invite us to engage with another’s experiences in ways that can even go deeper than visiting a place in real life.  Today, RAR’s C...

 What would happen if you decided to be your child's mentor rather than their teacher?  What if you awakened their wonder and curiosity so that they became the kind of people who thirst for knowledge and understanding? Today, I’m revisiting a conversation about those very questions that I had a few years ago with Sally Clarkson. I’m lucky to count Sally as a dear friend and I know that her work ha...

What is your calling in life?  For poet, songwriter, and academic, Malcolm Guite, it’s unequivocally clear–to be a storyteller.  Today on the podcast Audrey and I chat with Malcolm about the first volume in his new retelling of the classic King Arthur stories, Galahad and the Grail, illustrated by the incredible Stephen Crotts and published by our friends over at Rabbit Room Press.  Not only is Ma...

Learning to read can be hard. And when our kids are still learning to read fluently and well, helping them fall in love with books can feel impossible. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today on the show, I’m sharing some strategies to help hook your developing reader. And of course, I have some suggestions for books that they won’t be able to resist. In this episode, you’ll hear:  Why helping y...

We all want to build those meaningful and lasting connections with our kids.  Around here, we’re usually talking about doing that through books and reading aloud. But how do we extend these connections into our everyday, ordinary parenting moments?   Today, I’m talking to one of my favorite people to listen to when it comes to relationships. Dr Matthew Breuninger is a clinical psychologist and aut...

Today, we’re revisiting a listener-favorite episode that has some advice and an activity that I think are perfect for this time of year in our homeschools. Jon Acuff, author of All It Takes Is a Goal, joined me a while back for a perspective-shifting conversation about setting and achieving goals for our homeschools, and how looking back at our best moments, from major milestones to pockets of joy...

We talk a lot around here about the incredible impact stories have on our kids. They build empathy and connection, letting us walk a mile in another’s shoes. And some stories also help us see what it looks like to be brave and courageous, even in the face of fear or daunting challenges. Today, Audrey is back to talk with me about how stories inspire courage in our kids and ourselves and can connec...

Why do we read aloud to our kids? Especially those who can read to themselves?  This is a topic that comes up all the time at Read-Aloud Revival and it’s one I’m super passionate about. It’s foundational to what we do around here and I firmly believe it’s vital to our kids becoming lifelong readers.  In this episode, we’re talking about the impact reading aloud has on our children, regardless of t...

Today’s episode is a special treat featuring the return of a listener-favorite guest who happens to be one of my favorite people, too. 😉 Back on episode 209, my eldest daughter, Audrey joined me to share her perspective on what it was like growing up in our bustling homeschool family. Ever since that episode aired, listeners have asked for updates on what she’s up to and how she’s doing. Suffice...

If I were to ask you if your life ever felt tranquil , you would probably do one of two things: bust out laughing or look at me like I was from another planet. I get it, I really do.  Which is why I’m so excited to have the author of one of my absolute tippy-top recommended books with me today. Laura Vanderkam is a time management expert, mother of five, and the author of Tranquility by Tuesday: 9...

What if I told you there’s an Icelandic Christmas tradition where the whole point is to spend an evening sitting around, sipping hot cocoa, and reading books? Sign me up, right? Today, we’re talking about Jolabokaflod, which loosely translates to “Yule Book Flood,” how it started, and how you can bring the magic of this bookish tradition into your home this Christmas. In this episode, you’ll hear:...

We all know there is no shortage of Christmas picture books out there.  But for a book to make it onto my kids’ Christmas stack or onto a Read Aloud Revival Christmas Book List, it has to be excellent .  And the books we choose for Christmas School? Those are the ones that go above and beyond excellent and are some of our most treasured, tippy-top favorite Christmas read-alouds. Today, I have the...

Hey hey, it's Sarah Mackenzie! I am here with a bonus episode. I host another podcast — it's called Circle with Sarah— and it's a short, weekly podcast that helps all of us become the peace-filled, joyful mamas we're called to be. It goes up at RAR Premium every Monday during the school year.  Recently, I recorded an episode for that podcast called "God is Not Disappointed in You." And not only di...

Have you ever worried that you’re not meeting all of your child’s needs—academically, emotionally, spiritually, or even socially? Pretty much every day, right?  You’re not alone. Most of us have asked ourselves if we are giving our kids everything they need at one time or another. In this episode, I’m sharing a replay from one of our Circle with Sarah live sessions where RAR Community Manager Kels...