I often get asked how I manage to get my young children to sit still for family read alouds, and the answer is that I don't. Young children are wiggly and fidgety by nature, so I don't expect stillness out of them. Instead, I offer them quiet activities that allow them to move and keep their hands busy while I read. The key is to pick activities that are fairly quiet and that are simple enough that your kids can still follow the read aloud, but engaging enough to keep them from getting off task. Below, I share some of my favorite activities for keeping little hands busy during read alouds. Simple Art Activities Simple art activities like sketching and coloring are usually my go-to activity during read alouds. They're simple and my kids are all pretty artsy, so it's usually an easy activity to sell them on. Sketching-  Encourage your kids to draw a scene or a character from your read aloud, or just allow them to free sketch. Coloring sheets-  If the book we're read...