My Little Poppies LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links from Amazon or other programs are used on this website. For more information, please refer to our disclosure statement.

Welcome back to the 10-Day “Coffee and Books” Read-Aloud Challenge. Today is Day 1 and the prompt is CHILDHOOD FAVORITE.

Please don’t worry if your mind is blank. I have oodles of resources for you today. I’m sharing links to some of our family’s favorite stories, plus I’m sharing 4 fantastic book lists with you. I want your family to make some read-aloud memories and discover new favorites!

Day 1: Childhood Favorite

Let me guess…

You started this homeschool gig with plenty of caffeine, a smile, and “I’ve got this” enthusiasm. You did your research, listened to podcasts, read all the books, and found some favorite homeschool accounts on Instagram. You dusted off that library card and filled your totes to overflowing.

That first morning, you poured a cup of coffee, gathered the library haul, and started to read.

You were ready for the magic. You had big plans to knock this homeschool thing clear out of the park.

Primed to be the homeschool mom you’ve seen in your Instagram feed. The one with the gorgeous books and engaged, happy kids. You weren’t going to get stressed out or overwhelmed. Homeschooling was going to be so much fun and so good for your family.

But things haven’t exactly gone as planned.

Your read alouds are anything but magical. They’re filled with endless interruptions, off-topic questions, sibling throw-downs, and more tears than you’d care to admit. It’s kind of soul-crushing, to be honest. Everything seems to unravel before you’ve had a chance to reheat that second cup of coffee.

And then bedtime? Ugh. You’ve been together all day and you’re all fried. The sibling squabbles make you want to pull your hair out. You struggle to keep your patience in check some nights, lose the battle other nights, and it’s not unheard of for you to doze off entirely while waiting for your slowpoke to pick a book.

You want your read-alouds to fuel learning. You want to share delicious read-alouds with your children and to have them hang on every word and beg, “Please, mama. Just one more chapter.”

You feel stuck. You’re usually an optimist, but you are starting to doubt it all. You can see where you want your family to be, but you can’t seem to get there. You don’t know where to go from here.

Here’s the thing…

Homeschooling shouldn’t feel super hard or complicated.

The best ideas are often the simplest ones.

You can cultivate a family culture of curiosity and joyful, lifelong learning through a simple, sustainable, realistic read-aloud routine.

In doing so, you’ll be building a home they’ll want to come home to!

A simple, sustainable read-aloud routine that honors your unique family can be a homeschool game-changer.

Coffee and Books is our favorite homeschool routine. We all love it. I want this for you, too!

I’ll be honest, when we first started our Coffee and Books homeschool tradition, it felt like a cheat.

Does this count? This is too easy! Am I being lazy?!

Our Coffee and Books tradition was not planned. It was born during a tricky homeschool season when I was struggling with sick kiddos and SAD.

Sometimes the best traditions are the unplanned ones. Coffee and Books transformed our homeschool routine. Only in retrospect was I able to see all of its benefits and all of the learning and connection this time together sparked.

I want to help you create a read-aloud routine that fuels learning all day long. I want you to get started today…

Today’s prompt…

Today, I want you to read a childhood favorite with your children. If you’re coming up blank, I have some resources for you!

I want you to make read-aloud memories to last a lifetime. Here are 4 free booklists for you…

Audiobooks to Grow Readers
Chapter books to Grow Readers
Picture Books to Grow Readers
Best Books for Mom (I want you to be a reading role model!)

Next steps: Complete today’s prompt…

Read a childhood favorite with your children today. And don’t worry if you’re reading a picture book to big kids. I’m forty-whomp-whomp years old and I’ve never outgrown picture books.

You don’t “graduate” from picture books. They are GOLD. I read a picture book to my children every single day and plan to continue the tradition until they leave my nest!

Share with me!

Hit reply on today’s email or leave a comment below. How did today go? What did you read? I love hearing your stories!

Prep for tomorrow…

Tomorrow is Day 2 of our 10-Day “Coffee and Books” Read-Aloud Challenge. Our prompt for the day will be SILLY. Try to find a silly book on your shelf, at the library, or online.

Need help? Here are some ideas from our family:

Related resources:

Don’t forget about the special limited time offer!

I’ve squeezed as much as I could into the 10-Day “Coffee and Books” Read-Aloud Challenge, but I have so much more to share with you!

Don’t miss the special limited-time offer on my digital course, How to Rock THE MOST IMPORTANT Part of Your Homeschool Day. Act now, before the challenge is over, and you’ll be able to grab the course at a 30% discount (original price $29). You can grab the offer here!