Reading in the New Year

1) Graphic Novels. Don't be like me and shrug these off as if they are just comic books like Calvin & Hobbs or Garfield. They are, in fact, brilliant! Graphic novels are mainly chapter books (of differing lengths and reading levels) in a comic book format that appeal hugely to kids. Last year, my son, who didn't like to read yet and mostly flipped pages looking at the illustrations, claimed Swim Team to be his favourite book. I knew it was the combo of the vast number of illustrations combined with small snippets of conversation that helped him feel that reading was manageable. Since purchasing Swim Team for our home library, we added to it Measuring Up as well as multiple historical graphic novels as well. (The photo to the left shows my children's current graphic novel top picks.)

2) Wonderbooks & Vox Books. Wonderbooks and Vox Books are books with buttons, a speaker and even an optional headphone jack that read the story out loud. We discovered these when I accidentally got out the Wonderbook version of When Stars are Scattered (the graphic novel pictured above) from our local library. Not only were there different voices for different characters, but it also had background noises and more that really brought the story to life. It was like listening to a radio drama, and it was truly engaging. Ever since then, I will purposely get out a picture book or other chapter books in both of these read-aloud formats, just to mix up our reading. (One thing my son likes about Wonderbooks that Vox Books does not have is a button that takes you to some questions about the story. He likes this reflection and comprehension aspect.)

3) Book Party. A few years back, I had an Usborne party at our home, and that gave my daughter the desire to also have a "Book Party," as she called it. So we simply made up what that could be! We decorated three rooms of our condo with three different themes: jungle, forest and space. Then my daughter made a map to each of the rooms for her guests to follow throughout the party. In each room, I read a silly picture book from that theme, and then left 5-10 minutes for the children to peruse the basket of books that I had collected on that specific topic. The space room was everyone's favourite because I read by flashlight while the ceiling was lit up by our Northern Lights projection lamp. The party ended with snacks and everyone making their own rainbow scratch bookmarks. (Every party should include a goody bag or take-away treat of sorts, in my opinion! :)) Your book party could look like this, or you could have a gathering where everyone comes dressed as their favourite storybook character. It's all about having fun with reading.

4) Picnic Readalouds. The same activity in a different location came make that activity seem brand new. That's what's behind this idea. I was teaching my kiddos about bugs a couple of years ago, and we were on the topic of ants. I had some ant facts printed out and ready for reading, but I wanted to make it more fun and memorable. So, I set up our living room with our picnic blanket and a picnic-type spread, complete with ant toothpicks carrying away pieces of fruit and crunchy cheesies. The kids loved it and there was zero complaining when it came time to read about ants. And to be honest, those facts have stuck with us, I believe, party due to the unique situation in which they were read. This party can be a guise for learning or just a fun activity, indoors or outdoors, any time of the year.

5) Book Club. I don't have any personal experience with these yet, but I hope to plan a Book Club in the Spring. If the idea of having your children read a book alongside others around their age and with similar interests, this could be a great idea. You can meet as a group multiple times to discuss the book, or have everyone read it on their own and meet once at the end to do activities that go along with the book that was read. Here I will recommend you check out Ainsley Arment's book, Book Club: 28 Activities to Make Books Come Alive (Wild and Free). There are heaps of reading suggestions and coordinating activities in this book, truly a fantastic Book Club resource.

6) Reading by example. Scholastic's Kids and Family Reading Report from 2017 found that; "Parents’ reading habits play a large role in determining how often kids read: 57% of kids who are frequent readers have parents who read books 5–7 days per week, compared to only 15% of kids who are infrequent readers." Wow! This study does not say what we, as parents, have to read or how long we should read, and if we have to love it or be good at it, but only that the example is invaluable to our children's success in this area. Let this be an encouragement and not a place to let guilt or shame sneak in. The latter two won't help anyone. Instead, let's test this one out together! (Click HERE for the complete study.)

7) Library book hunt. Head to the library as a family or with friends and then have the children pair off or choose names. Next, one child in each pair heads off to find a book for their partner to read while the other child does the same. What a fun way to "find" something different to read and possibly even be introduced to a new favourite. Repeat as many times as desired. :)

8) Reading Busy Bag. Have you considered putting together a small baggie with fidget toys and special treats that are only to be played with or consumed while the child is reading? Reading just might become irresistible!

9) Family Literacy Day - January 27th. Haven't focused on fun reading for a while? Maybe January 27th is the day to get back to it! Last year we had a Dessert Party as a family (see THIS blog post), and it was so much fun! Try out one of the ideas here in this blog, or from one of my past blogs, or see what fun your local library is planning for this year's Family Literacy Day.

I hope something in this blog has been an encouragement to you, or even sparked some excitement in you as we enter 2025. Reading is a gift, as are our children. Treasure these days, my friend. Treasure these days. <3