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Does read-aloud time find you fighting fatigue? Being a parent is a tiring job, and by the time you sit down for read-aloud time, it’s all too easy to drift off to sleep. These mom-tested tips will help you stay awake while reading aloud.
My kids love to tell embarrassing stories about how I would fall asleep while reading aloud to them. I just couldn’t stay awake! My head would start to bob, I’d start to repeat sentences, and—most mortifying of all—I even talked in my sleep a few times!
All the late nights washing dishes and early mornings preparing lesson plans caught up with me.
It was inevitable.
I would begin to read and before long my eyelids would get heavy … I’d start feeling sleepy …
… very sleepy…
…and my kids would sneak off to play, giggling softly.
Before you inadvertently drift off to dreamland and leave your kids with a half-finished story, try these tips for staying alert during reading time.
Your comfy sofa or reading chair might be just a little too comfy, so try reading somewhere else—at the kitchen table, perhaps, or on the front porch. The fresh air and sunshine can help keep you energized, and a slightly less comfortable chair will help keep you awake.
If your read-aloud time is scheduled for your kids’ bedtime, chances are that you’re already getting sleepy yourself. If possible, change your read-aloud time to earlier in the day—perhaps right after breakfast—when you are still fresh and wide awake.
Stay alert by sipping ice water as you read, or engage yourself in the story by developing and using different voices for the characters. Eat some apple slices or plain popcorn. Prepare yourself some hot tea—and take a sip each time you start to feel sleepy.
Now back to my story …
Eventually, my struggle with sleepy read-aloud times made me realize that I was fighting fatigue in other areas of my life, too. A simple blood test revealed that I was anemic, and the subsequent iron supplementation helped a lot.
And so did getting to bed a bit earlier!
Do you have a favorite tip for staying awake while reading aloud? Please share, and I’ll add it to the reader’s tip box below!
Photo credit: Rachel Neumann
Serena
says:After my 2nd child was born, I would read to my oldest at bedtime. He would linger on the pictures on the page long enough for me to fall asleep. We just dealt with it at the time. He would let me know when he was ready for the next page. Moms of newborns need sleep whenever they can get it.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI love that your child worked with your sleepiness so patiently, Serena! What a sweet memory!
Amanda
says:These are great ideas! I sometimes struggle with staying awake during our read alouds and it’s usually because I need more sleep. I will try the tea idea first ;-)
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI hope the tea helps, Amanda! For me, tip 2 was the key. I moved reading aloud to afternoons, instead of before bed.
Tara
says:Sometimes we just use an audiobook in the car. The change of scenery and space and air really help. And so does having all of the kids buckled in!
If we really need a pick-me up, we might stop for some kind of treat (like ice cream) and enjoy a little longer.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAudiobooks on car rides are a must, Tara! Even when I travel alone, or just with my husband, I still choose an audiobook for the trip.
Cheri
says:I have narcolepsy. It shows in many areas of my life. I had to take stimulants just to function in the day, which I hate to take, because then I wonder if the meds are spending my Adrenalin and making things worse. Nonetheless, I NEED and WANT to ready I LOVE to read. Is there any help for me? I need real help for a real serious problem. It’s not position or amount of sleep or any of these tricks that help other ppl. It’s serious and I need help. I want to read my Bible and need to. Please, any real help out there? Thank you!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceCheri,
I’m sorry I am unable to help you. I recommend you speak with your doctor and push to get the kind of help you need and the answers you desire regarding medication risks. I’m just no knowledgable about narcolepsy, but I would think there is help to be found!
priest's wife (@byzcathwife)
says:I ‘peg’ our chapter read aloud to after lunch (now- it is Wind in the Willows) and just read 1 or 2 Golden books before bedtime. There is NO way I could read a chapter of Wind in the Willows at 8 PM!
Laura
says:I stand and start walking around and get the kids involved in the story by asking questions.
ChristineG
says:This used to be me, but no more. After being a parent for 20 years, having many many little ones in that time, I finally faced the fact that I was going to bed too late. Moving up my own bedtime by an hour made a world of difference. I never fall asleep anymore during reading, morning, afternoon or evening. (Supplementing with Magnesium also made my sleeps much better.) Great post!
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says: Customer ServiceGreat point, Christine! Sometimes I think we can all use more sleep.
Ali H.
says:Thanks for these tips! Great advice and I have learned a few of my own over the years. We try to do character voices or accents. :)
Diana
says:I get more sleep now that most of my kids are older and hardly ever fall asleep reading aloud. However, I did just teach my five-year-old to elbow her dad when he falls asleep reading!
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says: Customer ServiceDiana,
This gave me a huge smile!
Stacy
says:Great ideas!
Brooke
says:Thanks for all the great ideas!
Cheryl Escutia
says:Thank you so much for this article! It is good to know that I am not the only one who gets sleepy while listening to my children read!
Melissa Hamilton
says:Yes! This just happened to me yesterday! Mid-afternoon is just not a good time for me. It is a great time for my kiddos to take a break and do something quite, but unfortunately, read-a-loud time won’t be filling that time slot. Some of our best read-a-loud times are outside in the backyard. The kids quietly drive around toy tractors, or dig in the sand while I read. I am always amazed at how much of the story they pick up. The BEST read-a-loud times are when we pile up in the hammock!
Merry at AALP
says: Customer ServiceOooh, the hammock sounds so cozy! Love these summer days. Enjoy reading outside!
Hollie
says:Thank you! I thought I was the only goofy mom ever to have this issue! I have found standing and moving and reading with dramatic expression to be helpful.
Christina
says:I loved this! Thanks!
Shelly Moorhouse
says:haha! This is so me! I need to use some of these tips!
Jessica
says:I have a hard time with this before nap time sometimes. :)
Merry at AALP
says: Customer ServiceUnderstandable! (When my kids started outgrowing naps, I let them play quietly for a rest time–but they would say they didn’t need it, and I’d say, Mommy does!)
Deanna
says:Good suggestions.
Amy Jo
says:I could totally relate to this article! While I love to read to my kids I usually don’t realize how tired I am until I sit down to read or let them read to me. Reading outside (when weather permits) is always helpful to me.
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says: Customer ServiceAmy Jo,
Reading outside is great! I always feel very Miss Stacy like (the great teacher from Anne of Green Gables) when I read aloud outside.
Lindsay
says:Take a deep breath in through your nose…no joke…works every time! I share this with my sleepy students all the time!
Merry
says: Customer ServiceInteresting tip, I’ll have to try that with my kids too!
Rachel Kokes
says:I don’t know that I would fall asleep-I think I am even more into the story than they are! :)
Merry at AALP
says:LOL, sometimes that’s me too, Rachel! (I’m reading an Agatha Christie mystery to my teens & sometimes they are out & we don’t read–and I want to know what happens next!)
Brittany
says:Haha I have so done this! Great tips though!
Ann E
says:Sometimes, I just need some cold caffeine. Other times, I just need to stand up and shake off my exhaustion because reading to the kids is so relaxing that those late nights/early mornings with the kids catch up with me.
Thanks for the extra tips!
Eleasha Tate
says:good tips
Lindsay
says:I love the tips! We enjoy reading in different tones (grandma voice, baby voice, etc). I catch my kids doing it too?
Merry at AALP
says:I love it when kids learn to read in voices!
Chana
says:My 3 yr old told his friends the other day, “sometimes my mommy needs a drink.” He meant, I need to get a cup of coffee while I’m reading to him so I don’t fall asleep! Thanks for the great tips!
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says:Chana,
Oh, my! I got a good chuckle out this one. Yeah, this mommy needs a drink (of coffee) every morning. :D
Somer
says:I literally laughed when I read the title of this article. ;) this is me every night as I try and read bedtime stories to my kids. I wake up 4 hours later curled up beside them in their beds with the book still open. Ha!
Great suggestions on how to (hopefully) read their favorites without putting myself to sleep as well!
Regina
says:Thank you for the suggestions and the comments of what works from others in the additional posts. I had almost given up on reading a couple of books due to the stories simply relaxing me so much that I would simply nod off. I can only imagine what my daughter must of thought the few times this has happened. I will implement these suggestions and see what works the best for us. Thanks again
Leah
says:The couch and a comfy chair are my culprits. So I do story time with the kids while we all sit in a circle on the living room floor. I miss the comfy factor of reading on the couch, but my kids appreciate actually finishing a good story. Funny voices and characters are a big plus because it also helps me to get excited about the story too instead of just reading in a boring monotone voice. Enjoy your a cup of coffee or tea and HAPPY READING!
Ellie
says:Actually, I don’t give in to the nap when we do afternoon read aloud. When I start to nod, I have my kids set the timer for 5 minutes, they scoot to the bathroom, get a drink, etc. When the timer goes off, I pop back up, they come back to the couch, and we are ready to go again! it is AMAZING what a 5 minute power nap can do!