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READING JUST FOR THE JOY OF IT

We've all been told over and over again that reading to our children is a good thing to do. Do you have any special memories of being read to? My childhood was not a happy one, and of my mother in particular I have very few fond memories. But I do remember her reading to my sister and I - the Doctor Who series was one of her favorites to read to us - and we used to have a bowl of peeled, chopped apples to nibble on with our bedtime story. To this day whenever I hear someone eating a juicy apple and talking with their mouth full, which should really be a little annoying, I feel that warm, happy feeling inside - that feeling that you only get from being read aloud to!

So how can we fit reading bedtime stories into our routines, when there are so many demands on our time and sometimes just getting the kids' teeth brushed and pajamas on seems like a mammoth task after a hard day's work?

Here are some tips to help reading to your kids feel like less of a chore.

1. Read something YOU enjoy! My mother read us lots of sci-fi stories when we were little. They've never been my cup of tea, but that didn't really matter - it was the fact that she was reading to me that made me feel loved and nurtured my own love of reading. Ideally, pick something that you and your child both like, and make SURE it's something you'll enjoy, otherwise the chances of you doing it over and over are much less.

2. When your child is old enough, take turns - have them read to you one night and you to them the next. This makes it more educational and more fun for BOTH of you - which is the aim.

3. Make bedtime earlier. Kids need a lot of sleep and often school-age children don't really get enough. What if you moved bedtime to an hour earlier? That way you might feel more generous about reading a story, knowing that you have an extra hour of grown-up-time afterwards (I know I would!) Worried about the kids starting to wake up earlier and get you up too early? Well it's possible to teach them to play quietly in their room when they wake up early in the morning with a little patience.

4. Don't feel like you have to be perfect, and read every single night. You could aim for reading a bedtime story on four nights in the week, and allow yourself to put the kids to bed with an audio book on the other nights, saving these for when you've had a particularly hard day.

5. Share the load! Assuming you're a two-parent family, it's a really good idea to take turns. It gives the kids two different reading styles and preferences to absorb, and lightens the load on each of you.

I hope these ideas help you - we all know the benefits of reading with our kids, I think the key is to develop a routine that doesn't put too much pressure on you, so that both you and the children can enjoy reading together to the max!

By Cassie

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