Homeschool Reading Log Printable
A reading log per child for independent reading, plus a family log for the books you read aloud together.
What to record (and what to skip)
A reading log should take seconds to fill in, or it stops being used. The planner's log has eight columns:
| Column | Why it's useful |
|---|---|
| # | A running count. Children love seeing the number grow. |
| Title and author | The core record, and handy for finding the book again. |
| Started / finished | Shows reading pace and which months were busy. |
| Genre | Reveals at a glance whether a child reads only one kind of book. |
| Rating | Stars or a 1–5 number; quick for young readers. |
| Reaction | One line in the child's own words. This is the column you'll treasure later. |
What to skip: minutes per day and page counts. They turn reading into a chore. If you need reading time for an hours record, put a daily total in the hours log instead.
Read-aloud log for the whole family
Books read aloud are often the backbone of a multi-age homeschool, yet they don't show up on any one child's list. The family read-aloud log records title, author, dates, who listened and a favorite moment or discussion. Over a year it becomes a lovely record of your family's shared books.
Ideas for the reaction column by age
- Pre-readers: they dictate, you write. Or they draw a tiny picture.
- Early readers: "My favorite part was…" with one word or phrase.
- Middle grades: one sentence: would they recommend it, and to whom?
- Teens: a line on theme or character, which is useful practice for essays.
Genre mix check
At the end of each term, count genres on each child's log. If one category dominates, add a book or two from a different shelf to next term's term goals. Mix suggestions: fiction, biography, history, science and nature, poetry, how-to, myths and folk tales.
The reading log is in the free sample: US Letter · A4.