I remember my mom reading to my brother and me when we were teens. Yep, teens! The Adventures of Mrs. Polifax. And I can still hear her voice reading my brother’s childhood favorite, Hello, Elephant. Reading together is valuable on so many levels and is something that never goes away.
- Time it! Make a regular time to read together, whether it’s while you’re making dinner, before bed, or waiting for the doctor or on line at the bank.
- Cuddle up! Get comfy to make reading together as physically pleasant as possible.
- Turn off! Don’t just put the devices away. Turn them off so you don’t hear them buzzing. You know that’ll pique your (or their) curiosity. Best to just leave the thing off.
- Ham it up! Now that you’re all settled in, remember that this is your opportunity to tap that dormant actor within. Use your dramatic voice, your monster voice, your goofy faces to make the story come alive.
- Share it! Have your child take a turn, or do a specific character.
- Test it! In other words, read it first. If it’s inappropriate for your child or is, heaven forbid, boring, don’t read it!
- Enjoy it! Please don’t try to make every reading session a lesson. Kids need to know reading is a fun thing to do and not a “spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down” situation.
