How much do you read to your kids?

Was just interested to know how much people read to their kids?
What techniques (if any) do you use - big voices, point at the words as you read, movements, actions etc?

Hailey has a library of about 100 or so books and gets taken to the library every week by her grandparents.

We always read books as part of the bedtime routine and probably read about 6-10 books a night and some during the day. I've started pointing at the words as I read them - she just refers to any letter/words as "like ABC" :lol: , even though she knows how to sing "ABC" song. Does anyone know when they start to recognise letters? Hailey knows a couple but it's mainly "ABC".

Also, what's your kids fav book/s? Hailey's is anything with Hairy Maclary in it & nursery rhyme books.

Check out this thread on favourite books for ideas ;)

All the time. Milo goes to his bookshelf, grabs a book and gives it to me or DH, plops himself down and waits!
From about 2-3 months (about when he was awake and not unsettled for any length of time) I started reading to him. We started with The Hobbit, but now that its his choice not mine, he likes Mother Goose, Animalia and where the wild things are.

All the time for us too. My boys are always bringing me books to read them...

Every night to DD#1.....i keep books in the car too so when travelling both girls will have a book in their laps to read.....

I love reading to DS (but then, I love reading anyway).

Today we have read The Tiger Who Came To Tea, That's not my bunny, the story of Naaman in his Child's Bible and some poems. I also read him Harry Potter when he won't go to sleep without hearing my voice, but I read that in a monotone. If I run out of things I read my books to him - no pictures, but more vocab for him, and that's important too.

I do different voices for the characters, change tone for things like "up", "down", "loud" et cetera, stop reading to point out the characters and what they are doing/wearing in appropriate places... OK, DS doesn't get bored but I don't know how much he takes in.

I also sing with actions these stories - the owl and the pussy-cat, the ugly duckling, the fishes who swam over the dam (the latter being a firm favourite).

Niass - My-lo. DH suggested it, and its a form of Miles, maybe German, but I'm not 100%

I am gradually building a childrens' book library for Milo. The board books are all at his level so he can get them, and the paper books(ie the ones he could rip) are up high. I have most of the ones that I loved as a child, except for the Velveteen Rabbit which I must hunt down.

We read to DSs all the time too. They both love books. Jack will read for ages at a time but won't sit in front of TV for more than a couple of minutes. He knew all the letters before he turned too, but then he is ALWAYS reading.

Did anyone ever read Milly Molly Mandy stories when they were kids? I loved it. Have to get my hands on a copy for Hailey.

Trust me, if you read to your kids all the time, enjoy the time together, and play games where you talk about the words (ie that look the same etc) your kids will be reading in no time at all. Also, don't discount the value of good educational TV programs in helping this process, DD learnt the alphabet with practically no intervention from us (Sesame street, I guess!) and was reading of her own volition before she started school.

Amy Girl, there is a beautiful boxed set of three Milly Molly Mandy books you can get at places like Dymocks. I was mad about them too!

I started out reading to DS during the bedtime routine but found it was winding him up rather then helping him settle, so now we read as part of our morning routine. When he first wakes up (he is generally in bed with us as we co-sleep at least half of the night) he points to the bookshelf above the bed for his books (I keep the library books there so they are separate from his and I can make sure they don't get hurt) and we look at them together and I read whichever ones he hands me. Then once daddy is awake as well we say our morning prayers and read the Bible together - I have a childrens Bible that is set up so you read the whole Bible in one year.

During the day he'll look at his own books whenever he wants to and will often bring a book or two to me to read to him. We have a bookshelf in the lounge room and his board books are on the bottom shelf and the paper books are out of reach for now.

Oh cool - thanks Marydean - I'll keep a look out for them.
Niass - I've started to checkout the secondhand book shops too. So many of them are in really good condition and come at 1/4 the price. My Dad has the whole original hardback versions of TIN TIN series which is great. Other favs I had as a kid were Mr Gumpy's Outing; (Mickey) In the Night Kitchen; Where the Wild Things Are; Very Hungry Caterpillar. I had reading difficulties as a kid and went to special classes for a while and through this time my Dad would read Milly Molly Mandy stories as well as The Hobit and Lord of the Rings Series.

That's great idea Fletch with the photo album, especially talking about where the photos were taken. Might have to steal that idea :D

Yes it is a fond memory I have. I'm sure in due course he'll do the same with DD but in the meantime he is having WAY too much fun showing her interesting things outside like spiders and kookaburras :lol: ..I'm sure he thinks she's a boy sometimes...but they have great fun.