The Power of Being a Read Aloud Family with Sarah Mackenzie

The Power of Being a Read Aloud Family

Seeing my kids reading on their own is one of my favorite sights. Maybe because two of my boys were really hard to teach to read. There is an extra bit of pride seeing them having conquered what seemed impossible to them not that long ago. However, there is power in reading aloud to your kids, too.

My amazing guest today, Sarah Mackenzie, is best known for her podcast The Read-Aloud Revival. Her podcast has actually done just that — it has brought a revival to families coming together around a book. To say that I’m excited to finally get to release this interview with Sarah to you is an understatement. I had a blast talking with Sarah. She has a twinkle in her voice that just lets you know she’s smiling on the other side of the mic.

Her new book, The Read-Aloud Family, is incredible! What a resource for families to have. I’ve long been a fan of the book, Honey for a Child’s Heart since it has a such a great list of books for our kids to read. However, Sarah’s new book has a vast list of books to read as a family. I find myself talking about and recommending her book already…and it’s not officially out yet.

This episode might end up being another one of your favorites. Sarah is a delightful guest and her new book is sure to be a treasure for all families!

I cannot wait for you to hear this episode!

Highlights from This Show…

Sarah’s goal at the Read-Aloud Revival is for parents to make meaningful and lasting connections with their kids (she has 6!) through books. She shares more about why she wrote The Read-Aloud Family (it wasn’t on purpose!)
Sarah has started a read-aloud revolution. I love the story that she shares at the beginning of her book about where her vision for the read-aloud revival came from. I asked Sarah to share a little more about her vision and story.
We share fun stories about our mutual friend Andrew Pudewa from Institute for Excellence in Writing — we love him!
One of my favorite parts of Sarah’s book is her book recommendations! Sarah says it’s one of her favorite parts as well — book recommendations are her love language. (There are over 400 recommendations in the book!) If the thought of a list of looking through 400 books is completely overwhelming to you, I asked Sarah for her top picks for great starter books for reading aloud.
One of the things I thought was interesting in Sarah’s book is that she mentions the 5-myths of reading aloud to kids. I asked Sarah to share a little about these 5 myths and some tips for each of them. You’re going to love them.
We talk about our family’s book-to-movie rule: Need to read the book first. I asked Sarah for suggestions on how families can get a little more out of movie watching by reading the book together first.
Sarah gives a tip in the book that I just love — what kids can be doing during read-aloud time. Sarah shares how letting kids move their hands while listening to the book you’re reading actually means they are listening better. If this is something you are struggling with during your read-aloud time, you’re definitely going to want to pick up a copy of Sarah’s book. There a list of age-appropriate activities for kids to do during read-aloud time!
We had so many great reader questions this week! We weren’t able to discuss them all, but we did discuss getting started with reading journals and how Sarah balances being a working mom and a homeschool mom.

There are very few things that you can do in 10-15 minutes a day that can give your kids an academic edge and inspires them to be the heroes of their own stories and empathetic towards others and that gives you a beautiful memory of your family. (CLICK TO TWEET)

Need help picking a book that will capture everyone’s attention? Sarah Mackenzie from Read-Aloud Revival has some great tips on this week’s Simply Joyful Podcast! (CLICK TO TWEET)

Also Mentioned in this Episode:

Andrew Pudewa’s Nurturing Confident Communicators
Harry Potter, Jesus, and Me
Sarah’s Reader Guide Printable for Reading the book and enjoying the movie!
Needing ideas for what kids can do while parents read aloud? Sarah has compiled a great list HERE (and there are even more ideas in her book!)
Also, Sarah mentioned a study proving why it’s beneficial to let your kids move around while you read — you can read the full study HERE.
We chatted in this episode about starting with reading journals. Sarah mentioned that she had a podcast and printable on simple reading journals! You can find that episode HERE.
Sarah also mentioned she loved marking books with book darts. You can get your own book darts HERE.

Please Note…

Be sure to grab your FREE copy of my book, Sanity Savers for Moms, by joining our Simply Joyful community. It’s a great way to keep in touch…and get subscriber only freebies like my book. Click HERE to get the book and join!

Connect with Sarah Mackenzie…

Sarah Mackenzie is an author, speaker, and podcast host. On the immensely popular Read-Aloud Revival podcast, she helps parents all over the world make meaningful connections with their kids through books. She lives in the Northwest with her husband, Andrew, homeschools their six kids, and loves making sure her family is well-stocked in the best books she can find.

You can check out Sarah’s book HERE on Amazon! Be sure to visit her site as well at readaloudrevival.com.

A Special Thanks to…

Rend Collective for allowing me to use their incredible song “The Joy of the Lord is My Strength.” This song has so much special meaning to me and it highlights the theme verse for my podcast — Nehemiah 8:10. Be sure to check out their music! They are such a fun band to listen to…and to see live.

(This podcast is by Kristi Clover. Discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central, and audio is streamed directly from their servers.)