The Countless Benefits of Magical Family Reading Time & The Joy That It Brings

“Children are made readers in the laps of their parents”

Emilie Buchwald

Stories invoke magic, they transport us to another realm, they make the seemingly impossible, possible. They have the ability to bring us together, to make us laugh, cry and smile. Reading with your children is one of the biggest gifts you could offer your child; it shows them that you care. It allows you to enter their world of curiosity and share an exciting journey together through the narrative of story.

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild to pick up a book and read to a child”

Dr Seuss summarises it perfectly. We are never above telling stories or too old to tell them because they never have an expiry date. Stories transcend all barriers and limitation and through sharing reading time with your family you may just re-discover the joy of child-like play and imagination.

“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be presented as a gift” – Charles Scribner Jnr

The key to making family reading time something that you all look forward to is to make it FUN. You may like to include the use of hand puppets or each take on a character to play from the book. You may like to spend time discussing the setting of the story and even make it interactive. You could pack up a picnic and enjoy family reading time in the great outdoors by day and nestle in by night under cosy blankets enjoying a delicious hot chocolate.

“Children fall in love with books because of the memories created when the snuggle up and read with someone they love”

Reading to children and creating family reading time even before they can understand the meaning of the words introduces the notion of associating books with love and affection. Children love story time because they get to receive your undivided attention, it’s a special time for you and them to bond, make memories and share something beautiful together. They are able to learn with you, under your nurturance, guidance, love and safety.

“Happy is the family who have learned to make good books their companions” – Spencer W. Kimball

Each page of a book is an opportunity to look, listen and learn. Dedicated family reading time allows you to be intentional about what you wish to share with your children, may it be through a story with a beautiful moral message, facts about the world in which we live or the experiences of others. Books allow us to guide our children in identifying feelings and emotions and develop communication skills through encouraging them to express their thoughts on the story and its characters. Stories allow us to develop our ability to show empathy, compassion and understanding for both ourselves and others.

There’s no doubt that in our fast paced modern world that quality family reading time is more crucial now than ever. In a time where parents are often harassed juggling 101 different jobs on their to do list, make getting snug with your little ones for a bedtime story your number one priority. Here are some of our favourite books to get you started and some of our favourite Roald Dahl quotes/books.