On May 15th we celebrate the International day of Families and what better way to celebrate than to read together as a family!
Did you know… a family that reads together for 20 minutes a day, 7 days a week gets more than 121 hours of bonding time every year? This can have countless benefits, some of which are listed below:
Bonding with your kids over dedicated family time: This is something that many families face challenges with like having busy schedules with school, work and other extracurricular activities, but taking the time, even just 20 minutes a day to sit down and read together as a family can create bonds that will last forever.
Learning to read for pleasure and fostering a love for books: Kids who see their parents read for pleasure are more likely to do it themselves and when the whole family gets involved that only amplifies the message that reading is not just for school or work but for fun too.
Expanding vocabulary: This one is a no brainer – the more you read the better your vocabulary will be regardless of age.
Creates opportunity to have conversations on various topics: Sometimes it can be tricky to talk to your kids about tough subjects but reading is a great way to introduce these kinds of topics to your family. This can foster discussion among everyone in the family, which is a great way to share feelings and opinions and to learn together as a unit.
Exposure to new experiences: One of the best ways to learn about something new is in a story. Life happens quickly but not all at once. Reading together will give your family a chance to experience new things in books that children may not have yet experienced in real life, giving the opportunity to ask questions and be more connected with each other.
Learning about morals and feelings: Similar to the paragraph above, majority of books will have some kind of lesson or moral to the story so this is a great way to examine these topics while reading together.
A time to reduce screen/gadget time: In this day and age screen time is more prominent than ever, especially during work and school. Taking the time to step away from screens and enjoying a good book together will give everyone time to relax and enjoy each other’s company while giving both your eyes and your device a break.
Exercise your imagination, together: This is an obvious one for kids but it applies to parents as well. We are all faced with real world issues everyday so why not take a break, grab a book and exercise that imagination muscle we all have inside of us? Go on an adventure as a family with a great book and give your mind a chance to explore all the possibilities.
A chance to do an activity together: Families don’t always have to read fiction, there are some great non-fiction books with activities for the whole family like gardening, crafts, cooking, trivia and outdoor activities that everyone can participate in.
Parents and kids of all ages will benefit from reading together and if this isn’t already a part of your family’s routine we encourage you to give it a try on May 15th. Remember, families that read together succeed together!
Check out this great family reading list put together by our staff Krista. Happy reading from your friends at the Markham Public Library.
This is a list of titles that would be great to read together as a family. The list includes picture books, chapter books and some non-fiction titles.
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