Welcome to the Simply Joyful Podcast
Episode #54 with Sarah Mackenzie
This Week's Encouraging Episode with Sarah!
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!
Sarah’s new book is coming out March 27th. You can pre-order now. Plus if you pre-order the book before March 27th, you are eligible for a new video class from Sarah: How to Choose Books for Your Kids! Just grab your receipt number and enter it HERE.
Get ready for a great interview — get your own Simply Joyful Podcast mug HERE!
Highlights from the Show
Here are a few fun quotes from this episode. Please feel free to “click to tweet” (below) or share the images below on social media.
- 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.
Books Mentioned…
…& don't forget to grab yourself a mug!
Whether you are a coffee or tea drinker, you will love this adorable Simply Joyful Mug! The back is equally inspiring with Nehemiah 8:10 written out. When you get your Simply Joyful Podcast mug, be sure to take a picture of it and use #SimplyJoyfulPodcast or #SimplyJoyfulMug. I'd love to see them!
Check them out HERE!
Help Get the Word Out…
My prayer is that this podcast would be a blessing to all who hear it. If you enjoy this podcast, it would be such a blessing to have you “Subscribe” to this podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave me a rating and review. This helps the podcast to rank in iTunes and be more “visible” for people searching for new podcasts to listen to. If you wanted to share this episode with friends or on social media, I've created several great images that are share-worthy. Thanks!
How to Listen to The Simply Joyful Podcast!
If you are new to the concept of listening to podcasts, then “Wow!” are you in for a treat. It's kind of like an OnDemand radio station. They are so easy to listen to when you are on the go running errands or shuttling kids or just getting projects done around the house. My favorite time to listen to my favorite podcasts is while I'm out for a walk or folding laundry.
1) Subscribe to the Podcast! You won't miss an episode when you subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher. You can always access the podcast from either of these venues by searching for “Simply Joyful Podcast.”
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2) Listen on your Phone! This is my preferred method of listening. If you have an iDevice (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch), then you can listen on Apple's purple podcast app that comes on your device. If you have a non-iDevice, then Stitcher Radio is great to use. You can easily search for podcasts, subscribe, and — my favorite part — speed up the audio.
3) Listen right here on my Website! Super simple! All you have to do is just click on the play button on the podcast player located at the top of this post.
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.
Let's Connect!
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 www.readaloudrevival.com.
Connect with Kristi…
I hope you enjoyed this week's podcast! My prayer is always that you will be blessed and encouraged by each episode.
Blessings and joy,
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