CAC PV 5th Grade

I can’t think of a better way to connect with your child regularly than by reading a book to them or with them. As a parent, I get to do it with my kids at home, and as a teacher, I get the opportunity to do it with your child every day.

Trust me on this— your child loves stories and, even though your child can read independently, your child loves to be read to! In fact, I’d argue that no matter how old a child (or adult) is, we all love stories. There’s something about story that connects us. It engages us, connects us, and helps us see the world together like nothing else.

If you’re already doing that, great! Keep it up.

If not, now’s a great opportunity to begin and it’s certainly not too late to start! In fact, this is our first year for me and my kids to listen to audiobooks on the way to school each morning, and it’s been such a positive way to start our days. I wish I had started doing it years ago!

Now, I’m not trying to drum up business, but with the book fair coming up next week, this is a great time to pick out a book to read either with your child (you read it, your child reads it, and you talk about it), alongside your child (you download the audiobook and listen to it together in the car), or to your child (you read while your child listens).

If you’re looking to get started or are looking for more book ideas, below is an audiobook, a podcast, and a book recommendation based on my experience.

Love Does for Kids is the first book we listened to on the way to school this year. It’s so good and my kids loved it! Bob Goff, who is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever heard, tells stories after stories about the lessons he’s learned growing up, being a teenager, dating, being married, and being a parent. All of them are funny, engaging, and told at a child’s level, and they each include an inspirational thought about what being a Christian today is all about. This is a great one to start with.

This one is a classic and my kids loved it! I had never read any of the Chronicles of Narnia before reading this one with my kids, and we had so much fun! It took us a few weeks to get through, reading a chapter each night, but as we neared the end, we planned our big movie night to watch it together after we have finished the book. We’ve had so many conversations about this book and have referred to it often, and I’m so glad I got to experience that with my kids.

I loved experiencing all three of these with my kids, but honestly, the options are endless and you may have some books in mind that would great to read with your child (click here for other books I’d recommend to read with your kids). The key is to make time to do it and get in a routine. From being with our students every day, I know they love being read to, and I also know your relationship with your child will grow stronger and deeper just from the shared experience of story.

If you’re already in a reading routine with your child, keep it up! They love it and are not too old for it!

If you’re ready to start a reading routine, do it! The investment will pay off. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the the graphic below or check out this study— reading with our kids is important!

"The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

Lesson Seven

Classroom Resource Page (for class schedule, safety patrol rotation, textbooks, etc.)

5th Grade Chapel Plan (full schedule can be found here)

Google Classroom (students may access this from their Google drive account)

Class ShowMe Page (video tutorials)