Isn't story-time just for the tiniest of tiny folk? They sit on the floor, you sit on a chair made for a four-year-old, and you painstakingly remind yourself to turn the book around to show them all the pictures at the end of every sentence?

We do love us some story time, but as we discuss in "5 Things Every High School Teacher Should Know," even high schoolers can benefit from read-alouds.

We're not suggesting that you corral your 15- and 17-year-old on the sofa tonight for a Frog and Toad marathon (unless, of course, they're game, in which case, go for it). But we do think that parents can continue reading with their children long past the age at which most folk think it's time to stop.

No one's expecting your not-so-little ones to cuddle up and fall asleep in your arms as you utter the final words of Goodnight Moon, but the whole point here is that you can still bond with your children over the written word. And when you do, you'll not only be taking one more step to build a lasting, long-term relationship with your kids—you'll also be helping them improve their literacy skills and modeling lifelong learning for them.

Read what your kids are reading for school.

Sneak the syllabus out of your children's backpacks, check in with their teachers, or just come out and ask about what books they're reading for various classes. English and language arts are the obvious first choices, and in most cases you should be able to track down the books they're assigned at the local library, a used bookstore, or that newfangled contraption called Amazon.com.

Make sure you check in to get a timeline for how quickly they'll be making their way through the book. That way you can both keep up and avoid talking about sections your child hasn't yet read. Nobody wants to get partway through Great Expectations and then hear the identity of Pip's benefactor before it's been revealed. So keep a lid on any spoilers.

So let's get to the benefits of reading the books your children are reading for school. First, you'll find that with a book in common, you'll have plenty of natural conversation starters that could lead to deeper discussions, or, at the very least, elicit more than a grunt in return from your less-than-communicative teen.

Plus, in addition to asking what your child thought of a particular passage or scene or sharing your thoughts, you'll likely discover that reading alongside your children in this way will give you a window into their lives at school. Instead of asking, "What did you do today?" and getting, "Nothing," as a response, you can ask things like "What did your teacher say about Estella?" or "Did your classmates agree that Pumblechook is like Buster from Arrested Development?"

(You'll notice that "Nothing" doesn't work very well in response to these.)

Finally, by reading the books assigned to your children, you'll be showing them that you believe the reading assignments have value, and that you're invested in their education and their lives. Plus, as plenty of research has shown, " parental involvement is associated with higher student achievement outcomes" (source). Good motivation, right? So your reading along could be giving your children an educational boost as well.

Family & friends book club

Come on, if Oprah can do it, anyone can.

…Right?

You can keep it in the family (or bring in the neighbors or another friend, if that boosts motivation levels) and choose one title a month to discuss over dinner or at a specific date and time. The third Monday of every month, 6:00PM, for example. If you invite friends into the loop you can plan regular gatherings, perhaps rotating houses. Whatever format you choose, keep it multi-generational, involving adults and children, so that each discussion provides a chance for you to connect with your kids over literature.

Worried about finding a discussion leader? Try not to worry too much about a "skilled facilitator." Sure, teachers can help students to analyze the finer points of literature—the themes, symbols, and motifs; the various methods of characterization—but any discussion of literature, whatever path it takes, is valuable. And doing it in a casual group, without the same sort of focus as in the classroom, can help your kids get more comfortable talking about literature in general.

After all, the more people read and discuss, the more astute their analysis becomes. Sure, the goal of a book club doesn't need to be fine-tuning anyone's critical reading skills. It can be about developing a relationship with books and with one another, and about highlighting reading and discussion as important and enjoyable pastimes. And yes, sometimes those things are more easily accomplished without a list of discussion questions or symbols to go over.

Family recitation night

If reading a whole book together is too much of a time commitment, consider instituting a family recitation night. Once a week, perhaps over dinner, each member of the family reads something brief out loud and talks about why they wanted to share it. The reading could be a few pages from a book, a brief quote, a news story, an excerpt from a blog or website, a Shel Silverstein poem—anything.

This can be a more casual way to bring reading into the mix, and it can take several forms. Folks can pull material from wherever they choose and keep it completely free-form, or you can have a theme each week: jealousy, love, admiration, power, travel, clowns, you name it. Head on over to any of Shmoop's Literature Learning Guides for some theme ideas.

Think about it. By coming together to both read aloud and discuss written work, you'll be giving your children (and yourself) a chance to improve reading and speaking skills. And that won't be the only benefit. You may find that your dinner table conversation will reach a new level or that your understanding of your children's interests, ideas, and perspectives becomes more nuanced.

And of course, as with the other ideas above, you'll be placing a premium on literacy and discussion. And that has the potential of not just bringing your family closer, but also of increasing your children's academic achievement.