Your students just came in from recess, lunch trays are cleared, or it’s those last precious minutes before dismissal. Instead of filling these moments with busy work or watching chaos ensue, what if we could transform them into engaging reading experiences?
While I often talk about using picture books and read alouds to teach curriculum throughout the day, today we’re focusing on something different – reading purely for enjoyment. These small moments are perfect opportunities to show students that reading isn’t just something we do in school, but something we’ll do throughout our lives simply to enjoy stories.
Finding Hidden Pockets of Time
Look for those natural transition times in your schedule:
- When students enter the classroom in the morning
- Before or after special classes like music
- When lessons end a few minutes early
- During end-of-day packing up time before buses are called
Creating Your Quick Reads Collection
Keep a special bucket or basket of “pocket-sized stories” ready to grab at a moment’s notice. Choose books under 30 pages that pack a punch without requiring extensive background knowledge. Mix in both laugh-out-loud stories to engage students and calming books to help settle the classroom during typically chaotic times.
Fiction books work best for these moments since they don’t require the background knowledge that nonfiction texts often need. Stick with familiar authors or characters that students can jump right into.
Making It Part of Your Routine
Create a consistent routine around these short read aloud moments. Develop a quick signal that story time is happening. For example, when students finish packing up for the day, they can gather on the rug to listen to the story. This routine maximizes your limited time while keeping the classroom calm and focused.
Remember, these moments are about pure enjoyment – not instruction. Simply read the title and author, then dive into the story. Save the discussion questions and teaching points for your curriculum-focused read alouds.
Building Anticipation
If you do this consistently, perhaps sharing at the beginning of the day which book you’ll read later, students will look forward to these special moments. Even if it’s not daily, they’ll know that extra time means story time.
Remember, these short read aloud moments aren’t about meeting standards or teaching skills – they’re about nurturing a love of reading, creating connections, and making the school day more joyful. Sometimes the most impactful teaching moments happen when we’re not trying to teach at all.
Want more ideas? Connect with me on Instagram @thecolorfulapple where I share weekly book recommendations and classroom tips. I’d love to hear your creative solutions for building your classroom library too!
This Week's Book Recommendations
At the end of each podcast episode, I’ll be sharing picture books that I’m loving that week! This week, I have a collection of quick read aloud books:
FREEBIE for you!
- Over 180 book titles to ignite young minds!
- A weekly scope and sequence, so you know exactly what to read each week. ️
- The perfect texts to support the skills you’re teaching
