Today, I want to share how I’ve helped my oldest (almost 10 years old, finishing Ambleside Online Year 4) transition from mom-only read-alouds to reading most of her school books independently. At the same time, I’ll also share how I’m working through nurturing the same ideas with my youngest (6.5 years old, finishing Ambleside Online Year 1). Even though I only have two children to homeschool, I still wondered and worried about how to manage two separate Ambleside Online years, especially with both kids still depending heavily on me for readings.
Our experience might be different from yours, whether you have more children or are homeschooling neurodivergent learners. Ultimately, only you, as the mother, can determine when it’s the right time to nurture more independent reading in each of your children. But I hope to encourage and inspire you with a few ideas to help your students begin taking ownership of their education.
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Where It Started
My oldest started reading when she was 5.5 years old. She has always loved good stories and being read to, and even though she reads a lot on her own now, she still treasures our family read alouds. I truly believe that these moments are the heart and foundation of her reading life. Fostering a love for books, rich stories, and wholesome language in our home is a priority, and reading is woven into our daily lives, both in and out of homeschool.
By the time my daughter could read fluently to me, around the end of Ambleside Online Year 2, I had her following along with a physical book to the audiobook of a couple of the Free-Reads for Year 2. I wanted her to see the words being read, but I was also aware that many of the AO books we were reading were rich in vocabulary and harder for her to read independently at this point. We started doing this with the books The Enormous Egg, Little House on the Prairie, and Understood Betsy (not a free read, but scheduled in term 1 of AO Year 2).
Starting Again With My Second Child
As I prepare to start Ambleside Online Year 2 with my second child, I plan to follow a similar approach of using a combination of physical books and audiobooks for a few of the books each term. I might also try co-reading some of our Year 2 books and taking turns reading together. My second child isn’t reading on his own yet (he’ll be 7 in the Fall of 2025), so we still have a bit of a journey before he’s reading his homeschool books independently. He might surprise me over the summer and suddenly click with reading, but for now, I’m taking things slowly with him.
Although he, too, treasures our family read-alouds, he doesn’t have the same love for reading or the process of learning to read that his sister had at this age. And that’s okay. I’m not discouraged by the slower pace with my second child; rather, I see it as a welcomed opportunity to continue to find the very best stories that will inspire him and help him fall in love with reading himself.
Making Time For The Habit Of Reading
Every day, we set aside time for independent reading of books that aren’t part of our homeschool curriculum. Making room for this reading time in the afternoon has been a cornerstone for building our reading habits. It may seem like a natural part of our day, but it’s actually something we’ve had to intentionally carve out. In the afternoons, I typically do chores, write blogs, or run errands while my children are free to play and create. Although I want their afternoons to remain open for their own activities, I know that if we don’t make time for daily reading, it simply won’t happen.
After lunch, I will set a timer for 30 minutes, and the kids will choose an audiobook, or physical book (most of them are free-reads from the Ambleside Online booklists), and everyone is reading, myself included.
My kids are enjoying adding finished books to their reading trackers this year! It’s been a fun and motivating addition to their reading routine, giving them an extra layer of excitement as they see their progress and celebrate each book they complete.
Tip: Some of our homeschool books can be included on their reading trackers for the year. However, for my oldest, I’ve encouraged her to only add chapter books or longer picture books she reads to her tracker. By setting this challenge, she’s now picking up so many new chapter books and exploring a wide variety of AO’s free reads. She’s also reading several other chapter books that she discusses with her homeschool and church friends, who share her love for reading.
The Intentional Transition To Independent Reading In Our Homeschool
Up until Year 3 with my oldest, I was reading most of our books aloud. I hadn’t yet begun formal lessons with my youngest, but I knew we’d eventually need to adjust to having two students doing formal lessons. So, by Term 2 of Year 3, I started transitioning my oldest to reading a few books on her own. We began with the literature section and eventually included some history biographies by the end of the year. I chose books with the shortest chapters and weekly readings for her to handle independently, and this approach worked well. I tried having her read aloud to me first, but we quickly realized she did better reading on her own and then coming to me to narrate orally.
What surprised us both was how much more she was able to grasp from the readings by doing it herself. While she still loves it when we read some of her books together, I began to notice the significant impact on her education when she engaged with the books independently.
Tip: For some of the literature readings that were more challenging to read independently, we went back to using a physical copy of a book along with the audiobook. You can find many Ambleside Online books available for free on audio using Librivox. We still do this in Year 4, particularly with Age of Fable.
Mindset Matters
At the end of Year 3, I sat down with my oldest for our reflection + discussion end-of-year interview, where we discussed what she liked, what she didn’t, what she was looking forward to, and—most importantly—what expectations I had for the upcoming year, particularly around taking on more independent readings.
I started by telling her how proud I was of how much she had taken on herself and how exciting it was to see her maturing in her school time. We took a moment to reminisce about our favorite books we’d read together, and I talked about the benefits of her continuing to take on more books independently each year. I explained that by doing so, she would eventually be able to schedule her own week, deciding how she wanted things to unfold rather than waiting for me or balancing between her and her brother’s needs. She was really excited about the idea of having more control over her schedule.
Finally, we talked about how each new year brings new challenges and that, no matter what, the challenges or new experiences she encounters each year will always come with my support and guidance along the way, assuring her that we will always step back, and slow down if needed, and why these end-of-year “interviews” are so important and helpful for us both.
I know this conversation might not be necessary for every child, but for us, it was a meaningful moment. It helped both of us reflect on how far we’ve come in our homeschool journey, and it inspired her to continue pushing forward, eager to go further up and further into her education.
Tip: I realize not every child will respond this way to their education. And I can assure you that along the way, it isn’t always a smooth transition. We have off days and certainly days where the books are just something to get through because we ought to. But that’s the key and a phrase I have to say sometimes in our homeschool days—“I know we don’t want to, but we ought to.”
Realistic expectations are a good and worthy pursuit in our homeschool. Though it can be uncomfortable or a bit clunky at first, giving our children means to grow, such as taking on a book or two independently when they’ve been reading fluently for a while, can be a simple step towards nurturing grit and responsibility in our children’s lives.
If you enjoy podcasts, this episode by Educational Renaissance is a favorite of mine on the importance of pursuing excellence in our home education.
At the end of the day, not every book will be a favorite, and not every lesson will spark the greatest narration ever told, but we get to be right there with our children as they work it all out one way or another.
After The Early Years
For my oldest, the transition from me only reading aloud, to her independently reading began in the early days of our homeschool journey, as I shared above. It wasn’t marked by a specific grade or age when she suddenly became “ready,” but rather a gradual, year-by-year unfolding toward self-education. My youngest is not on the same path as my oldest despite my implementation of similar habits and routines or even curriculums.
This upcoming homeschool year, I will have Year 5 and Year 2 students (continuing to use Ambleside Online). We are currently at the end of term 3 of Years 4 and 1, and my oldest is reading every book on her schedule independently, excluding three. Year 5 will be similar, with a small handful of books read either with me or following along with an audio version.
Pre-reading her books ahead of time is something I find greatly beneficial for both of us to stay connected through her newfound independence. I’m able to “give sympathy and occasionally elucidate, sum up, or enlarge” her readings and ideas from the books when needed. Now that we’re moving up in the middle years, I will continue to prioritize pre-reading the books ahead of our homeschool schedule and take notes for my own sake.
Conclusion
Our children get the privilege to work at their own pace, even if you’re homeschooling with more family-style learning. We must keep in mind that each child is their own unique person, created in the image of God, and homeschooling can give our children the best (and possibly the most joyful) pathway for their education. This is what I keep in mind when I think of each of my children’s progress and pace.
Imagine this process as a slow climb up a mountain—a climb that is steady but never rushed. Each step your child takes is purposeful, moving toward the summit of their own independence, with all the time they need to pause and absorb the beauty of the views along the way.
Self-education is not a race to the top, and none of us ever fully “arrive.” It is meant to be enjoyed both in the climb (establishing good reading habits and daily practice) and the destination (in this case, independent reading in homeschool lessons).
The process mirrors our approach to narration and all habits of self-education. Each new idea, each new book, builds upon the last. These foundations are laid not in a hurry but in careful, intentional progress. And it is through these small, steady strides that our children flourish—never rushed, never overwhelmed. If the climb begins to feel too steep, we help them slow their pace, offering rest and space for reflection, knowing that this, too, is part of the journey.
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