
Documenting Your Child’s Reading Journey
Part 1
I’m convinced that record keeping is in my genetic makeup. Keeping a daily journal, gratitude/spiritual journal, list of notable quotes, list of books I’ve read, etc., is almost compulsive to me. It’s possible I get it from my dad, who wrote a letter to his mother faithfully each week for over 50 years. But I see the value in it and reap the many benefits, too. I strongly encourage you to keep a record of your child’s reading, in whichever format you choose. This week I am excited to share why taking video and/or using a reading app can elevate your child’s reading experiences.
Video
We know that every child is different. Learning to read comes naturally and quickly to some, while others struggle mightily for a long time to get it. In either case, capturing video of his or her reading along the way can be truly valuable. When my preschooler begins to read, I plan on recording her about once a week. Here are some incentives for trying it yourself:
- It can help motivate readers to improve. Time sometimes gets warped in our heads, especially when we feel like we’re in the spotlight. A video reveals the real-time fluency of our reading and shows whether we are rushing or faltering.
- It can show children how far they’ve come. When we’re in the middle of working on reaching a goal, it’s hard to tell how much we’ve progressed. A series of videos makes it much easier to see and appreciate.
- Our child’s confidence will increase as we show encouragement and pride while recording them. A confident child will keep coming back to reading, even when it is difficult.
- It is a sweet reminder to parents of their child’s efforts and triumphs, which are easy to forget as time sneaks away from us.
- If we share these videos with loved ones, they can celebrate with our child in their own, unique way, providing further motivation to make progress.
Below is a video of our daughter reading one of her first books. We found it just the other day and were so grateful to have captured this tender moment. She has come so far since then!
This readaloud is posted with permission from Scholastic Books
Digital App
My six-year-old has embraced reading with a passion. She loves it so much that I decided to open a Goodreads account to keep track of the books she has read. The following are reasons I highly recommend you do this for your child, too:
- It has been so rewarding watching her list of titles grow. Each children’s book cover contributes to making a beautiful visual list of her reading accomplishments. (See picture below.)
- Goodreads offers you recommendations based on what you have previously read, and allows you to make your own list of titles you want to read in the future.
- Asking my daughter how many stars to give each book has also helped me know what types of stories are her favorite and which she didn’t care for as much.
- Being able to search through titles you have already read together keeps you from accidentally requesting the same books again at the library.
- The stats make it so easy to determine if we’ve hit a reading slump or are ramping up. This would be helpful in discovering any trends your child may follow.
- We typically read two to three picture books per day, but have dipped into longer chapter books, as well. Since I began documenting her reading on Goodreads in February of 2019, we have read a surprising 829 books! I would never have known that had I not signed her up.
- While this may take a few extra minutes of your day, it demonstrates both the love you have for your child and your interest in what they are reading. These actions will speak loudly to your little reader.

Litsy

Libib

Bookly

Bookling
There are many other reading apps for you to choose from. Above are just four for you to evaluate. Some even have reminder alarms, keep track of the time you spent reading, and have achievements you can unlock. I invite you to look them over and choose the best fit for you and your child. Begin documenting your child’s reading journey today. All you need is your cell phone! You will both be surprised and rewarded by this simple, but profound routine. I’d love to hear how you decide to document this journey.
Best of luck to you!
Photo credit: Yunsik Noh on Unsplash
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