Reading to children is much more than the words on the page. Although they are important as well. Those words and stories are fostering imagination, and filling our children with messages they will play back for their entire life. I remember Go Dog Go being the first book I could read to myself. Spoiler alert, it ends with a dog party. How fun!
Reading to a child also builds a connection with you, their parent, or a trusted adult. Do you remember being little and thinking the grown-ups around you were always in a hurry or stressed out? Maybe not. Hopefully not. But when they took time to sit with you and go on an imaginary journey, you connected with them on an entirely different level. One that wasn’t about chores, or school work, you went to another world together and had an adventure. Oh, and for parents who aren’t great at reading aloud. That’s OK! Our kids need to know that we aren’t perfect all the time. Reading to a child gives the adult practice time to improve their own ability to read.
The books we read to our children carry a message. It’s our job to be sure the message is uplifting. Even in silly stories, the message may just be it’s time to giggle. The world has plenty to not giggle or be silly about. Let’s encourage silliness and giggling as long as we can with our kids. Let’s fill them so full of fun, positive, enriching stories, that when they are older and the world gets dark, they remember to follow the yellow brick road, and find their way back home.
An author friend of mine, Nicole Lisa Schrader has published a new children’s book, Darwin Finds Freedom (from Elk Lake Publishing). Darwin’s grandfather tells him stories of other mice that are free, and to find them, he must follow the King of all Creatures. This means the little mouse has to take a step of faith to leave the familiar. Not unlike when your small child steps into a classroom for the first time; perhaps a little scared. But with every encounter with the other animals, Darwin is encouraged to keep moving forward toward finding his community. This story is all about being brave. I encourage you to check it out.
What was the first book you remember reading? Do you still enjoy reading? I’d love to hear from you. Maybe you can add a book to my ever-growing reading list, or give me ideas for books to buy for the children in my life.
All the best,
KK
#reading #books #novel
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Looking for something for yourself to read? Check out my latest book, Curtains for Maggie, also published by Elk Lake Publishing.
KK's Candor 
I read to my children and I still read even to my older grandchildren. Wonderful time to connect with them.
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