Nava Atlas
Great Ways To Get Your Family To Love Reading
Reading is surely a wonderful way to spend time alone. But if that kind of time eludes you, establishing rituals of connectedness around books helps ensure that time is carved out for literary pleasures. Reading rituals involving the entire family can be just what's needed to give books their due on an regular basis. These can be range from making sure that reading aloud to your child is a firm part of their bedtime routine from toddlerhood on, to designating a special family reading night, to forming a book group with a distinct focus. Here are some ways to foster togetherness around the simple activity of reading:
Family Reading Evenings
Maggie, the mother of three school-aged children has created a cozy family reading ritual. Two evenings a week, the TV, computers, and all other electronic devices are turned off, and everyone convenes in the den for an hour or so of silent reading. An avid baker, Maggie nearly always has wholesome goodies on hand for reading nights. In winter, hot cocoa and a warming fire add a final flourish. A family reading night doesn't necessarily need such distinctive touches, though; it can be as basic as everyone piling into the biggest bed in the house to read silently, or aloud to one another. When older kids and teens have reading to do for school, designated family reading time can make assignments seem less of a chore.
Reading At The Table
Most of the time, family dinners should be a time for communication and sharing, but some families designate one evening a week when bringing a book to the table is not only allowed, but encouraged. A simple "nursery food" meal makes this a most comforting pairing of activities. Would you like tomato soup and grilled cheese with that novel? It's also worth considering reading aloud to your children while they snack or during weekend lunches, rather than parking them in front of the television. Meg Cox, the author of The Heart of a Family, fondly recalls her favorite mealtime ritual: Living close enough to walk home for lunch during her elementary school years, she remembers her mother reading Treasure Island or the Oz books to her and her siblings while they ate their Velveeta sandwiches on white bread.
Family Book Groups
Here's an appealing, relatively new idea. This kind of book group can include both parents and older kids or teens; it can also include extended family members. It's a fantastic way to connect with grandparents. Teens are especially prone to losing common ground once shared with grandparents; a shared interest can span the gap. Some libraries are now promoting the concept of family book groups, as well as hosting them. If you'd like to keep your family book group private, your library might at least be a good resource for reading lists that appeal to a wide range of ages.
Mother-daughter book groups can be fulfilling for preteen and young teenage girls. This is a nifty way to help them get their wings as readers, while providing a constructive ways for growing girls and their mothers to stay connected.
Another way to make a family reading group enticing to older kids and teens is to make it a book-and-film club. Find classic books that have been made into films; read the book first, then watch the movie together on video or DVD (served with plenty of popcorn!). A discussion on the differences as well as the merits of book versus movie version can be quite spirited and thought-provoking. From classic fiction (Huckleberry Finn) to contemporary reality (A Beautiful Mind) to timeless fantasy (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), this kind of book group is sure to appeal to budding bibliophiles.
Read Aloud - Often!
Of course, establishing a read-aloud ritual can be one of the most gratifying ways to enjoy well-spent family time. Literacy experts agree that reading aloud to your children from an early age helps assure their becoming avid readers later on. Don't limit reading aloud to pre-schoolers - school-age children and sometimes even teens love being read to. Add whatever embellishments you'd likeÑa warm beverage, a specific setting, lots of cuddlingÑto ensure a prominent place in your child's memory for this time-honored ritual.
• Create a magical setting. Jennifer not only established a regular time, but an imaginative setting for reading aloud to her children when they were young. With a simple kit, she constructed a "magic house" that they could all snuggle into. Swathing the little structure with a gauzy, rainbow-hued fabric, Jennifer remembers their shared reading time giving them a great sense of safety and cocooning. The diaphanous quality of the light entering their snug shelter, coupled with their favorite stories, was an experience that truly transported them. Can you think of some cozy nook in your home that can be used expressly as a reading corner?
0. Revisit heroines you loved as a child. Reading these books to your own children is a thrill, especially when you can introduce them to heroines you loved as a child. Remember Betsy and Tacy, Nancy Drew, Jo March and the rest of the Little Women, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm? Revel in their tales of spunk and courage while sharing them with your daughters. There's no reason not to try them out on boys, too. Few children can resist Pippi Longstocking, Pollyanna, or Anne of Green Gables.
0. It's never too late for a classic. Discovering classics that somehow passed you by is a delight, too. If you somehow missed Peter Pan, Bambi, Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden and others as you grew up, share them with your children. Not merely great children's books, but great books altogether, the rich language of classics, experienced aloud, stimulates your imagination as much as your children's.
Resources
The definitive volume on the subject is The Read-Aloud Handbook (5th edition, Penguin USA, 2001) by Jim Trelease. Updated every few years, it makes an inspiring case for reading aloud, and supplies a thorough list of the best read-aloud books for several age groups.
Great Books for Girls: More than 600 Recommended Books for Girls Ages 3-14 by Kathleen Odean (Ballantine Books, 2002) lists books for different age groups, featuring strong female charactersÑfiction and nonfiction.
Great Books for Boys: More than 600 Books for Boys Ages 2-14 by Kathleen Odean (Ballantine Books, 1998) is a companion book to the one above, with a masculine slant.
The Mother-Daughter Book Club: How Ten Busy Mothers and Daughters Came Together to Talk, Laugh and Learn Through Their Love of Reading by Shireen Dodson (Perennial, 1997).
www.kidsreads.com lists and comments on classic books as well as newer ones and provides guidance for family book groups.
Find an exhaustive list of books made into films at a web site called Based on the Book: http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/readers/movies/book.cfm
Nava Atlas is the author of several well-known vegetarian cookbooks (most recently, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook) and the just-published Everyday Traditions: Simple Family Rituals for Connection and Comfort. Topics include daily dinner and other kitchen rituals, preserving family history, creating memories, building family identity, fun and meaningful celebrations, seasonal activities, friendship and leisure for busy mothers, and much more. Lushly illustrated and containing scores of simple ideas, this book also contains pages for the reader to record and develop their own favorite family traditions. To find out more, visit www.everydaytraditions.com
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