We all know that we should read to our children; no one doubts the value of this anymore. But there is still the eternal question of who should do the reading? My son used to prefer mum as the reader because “Dad reads with little expression” he declared. Now that’s nice, and although I was flattered, I could not be persuaded to take on the task alone. Let’s face it. On bad days, all I want is to crawl into bed after dinner instead of pouring over several chapters of Harry Potter and his angsty adventures. I needed Dad to do his part. And thank goodness he did and this was especially useful when Junior wanted to read history or science books.
But in case the dad in your home needs more persuasion or you need more ammunition to get dad to join in the act, let me suggest Jane Baskill’s new book Getting Dads on Board, (Stenhouse Publishers). In addition, Stenhouse Publishers has an interesting article on how to get dads to pitch in and do the bedtime reading. Read all about it here:
I know for a fact that Junior benefitted tremendously from his nightly reading rituals with mum and dad. Bedtime reading with dad has been extra special for Junior not just for the literary benefits but also for the sharing, the talking, the laughing, the snuggling and the many countless pleasures that can only come when two people focus their attention on each other and a book and nothing else.
Try it tonight.
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