The holidays are fast approaching. Families and friends will come together for food, fun, and festivities. The kids will be excited to have time off from school, and parents will hopefully be able to spend a little more quality time with their children. Somewhere in between all the shopping, sledding, cookie baking, and house preparation for the incoming friends and family, the bookshelf calls.
Reading can be a positive and relaxing outlet, especially in these busy times. You can help create special times with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives whom they may not see often. One great way is by suggesting that the relatives read with the children (either reading to them, have the child read to them, or taking turns). Books can help open up dialogue and sharing that straight questioning never can. New books for this time can be very special. Or have the relative or friend bring along THEIR favorite book.
Setting up a reading corner for quiet time may also be a good idea when the holidays become hectic. Kids can escape all the noise and chaos, and so can the adults. After a while BOTH might grow weary of adult conversation.
Also during the holidays, we seem to become more thankful and aware of the things we have and the people who are in our lives. Just ten minutes of reading a book or two with your child in front of the fireplace or any other cozy spot can become a memory that lasts a lifetime. It could also become a tradition to read a book in that same spot each night.
Reading with your child means so much more to them than the book itself. They see their parent/grandparent/aunt/uncle/cousin taking the time to sit down with them, showing them that they care and want to be there. As each page is turned, a stronger bond forms and memories are made as giggles, jokes, and discussions transpire. Who knows? You may even come up with your own stories to share. So, this holiday season, make sure to take the time to read with the youngest members of the family and build that bond and tradition. Both you and your children/grandchildren will be glad you did.
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Thomas Weck is the author/creator of the Lima Bear Stories. Originally made-up bedtime stories he told his four children, the Lima Bear tales resurfaced when Weck’s son Peter had children. Peter remembered the stories and wanted to have his father write them down so that he could share them with his children. Father and son took it one step further and created Lima Bear Press to produce the stories as books that children (and parents) everywhere can enjoy. The first 4 titles in the planned 12-book series are currently available: The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, The Cave Monster, and The Labyrinth. The 5th title, Bully Bean, will be released in April 2013. The books are not only fun and funny with great illustrations; they also have an underlying message such as such as tolerance, honesty, courage, etc.
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2 thoughts on “Creative Opportunities for Reading with Children During the Busy Holiday Season”
Thank you for sharing! We love books. I used to read to him before he was born. When he was only a few months old, I started taking my little guy to lapsit at the library. Then, we worked our way up to storytime at the library while continuing to read books every night. He usually does sit for storytime during the day.
Yesterday, my kiddo wore his dinosaur pjs and pulled out his dinosaur collection and brought a book to me to read it to him so we can learn all the dinosaur names together :) It’s been awhile since we read up on our dinosaurs. I think the TV show Dinosaur Train eally helped entice his interest in dinosaurs when he was younger but having a few around the house has been fun too. He also loved looking at the exhibits at the Field Museum.
However, the TV shows are not always on at the same time or correlate with his interests of the day. Therefore, we love watching youtube videos to entice his interest of the day. The other day at the library, he found a book about Jack Russell Terriers, which we do not have nor do we know of any in the area. Therefore, we watched some videos about them to keep him interested. Of course after seeing them in action, he wants one now…lol
So true! And I greatly dislike reading from an Ereader, it just can’t replace a book when it comes to reading to children, books are just so much more personal, I love the bonding storytime with my little guy :)
bedtime stories he told his four children, the Lima Bear tales resurfaced when Weck’s son Peter had children. Peter remembered the stories and wanted to have his father write them down so that he could share them with his children. Father and son took it one step further and created Lima Bear Press to produce the stories as books that children (and parents) everywhere can enjoy. The first 4 titles in the planned 12-book series are currently available: The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, The Cave Monster, and The Labyrinth. The 5th title, Bully Bean, will be released in April 2013. The books are not only fun and funny with great illustrations; they also have an underlying message such as such as tolerance, honesty, courage, etc.
Thank you for sharing! We love books. I used to read to him before he was born. When he was only a few months old, I started taking my little guy to lapsit at the library. Then, we worked our way up to storytime at the library while continuing to read books every night. He usually does sit for storytime during the day.
Yesterday, my kiddo wore his dinosaur pjs and pulled out his dinosaur collection and brought a book to me to read it to him so we can learn all the dinosaur names together :) It’s been awhile since we read up on our dinosaurs. I think the TV show Dinosaur Train eally helped entice his interest in dinosaurs when he was younger but having a few around the house has been fun too. He also loved looking at the exhibits at the Field Museum.
However, the TV shows are not always on at the same time or correlate with his interests of the day. Therefore, we love watching youtube videos to entice his interest of the day. The other day at the library, he found a book about Jack Russell Terriers, which we do not have nor do we know of any in the area. Therefore, we watched some videos about them to keep him interested. Of course after seeing them in action, he wants one now…lol
So true! And I greatly dislike reading from an Ereader, it just can’t replace a book when it comes to reading to children, books are just so much more personal, I love the bonding storytime with my little guy :)