I want to go on adventures with my kids. Sarah Mackenzie from Read Aloud Revival, said it first. She had 6 kids and traveling was very limited. So they went on adventures through books.
I believe every book is an adventure. The bigger the book, the bigger the adventure. When I was little, I always imagined that when I was a mom, I would read to my babies every night. Now that my babies are 4 and 5, we decided to get our first novel – the lion, the witch and the wardrobe. As soon as we started, my daughter asked several times a day to keep reading. My son who is 4 was attentive the whole time! They LOVED the adventure we went on, they play games (with other children who have read it) called the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, travel to Narnia, and make references constantly.
We created a world together in our imagination. My son now is obsessed with Turkish delight after finally getting a taste of some!
As we read Peter Pan, I watched my children imagine flying instead of watching it in a cartoon. We painted the ceiling of the bedroom with splashes of colour and fairy dust as we imagined Peter, Wendy, John and Michael flying across the room!
Reading together with my children has been one of my favorite things to do. As an adult, I struggle to remember what it’s like to be 4 or 5. I struggle to create or imagine the way they do. Reading is a simple way our imagination dances together and suddenly, I’m in their world. In an instant, we are playing, flying, hiking, or fighting pirates. It’s not a replacement for deep play, but it is intimate, fun and beautiful.
Why do you think book clubs are so popular? Because everyone went on the same adventure. And getting together to share all the amazing parts is electrifying. I have a book club with my favourite people.
When my babies were small (under 4) I read short picture books before bed. Sometimes if it was late, we’d skip reading. Sometimes if they took too long to get ready for bed, I’d take books away from our roster that we had planned to read that night. Books were becoming a tool used to control rather than a staple blessing. I didn’t want this. I didnt want to withhold books as a form of punishment. Withholding books as a form of punishment feels as cruel as withholding food. Books give life and are crucial for a child’s development. Books are not a reward for good behaviour, but a staple in developing a good human being. Now, reading before bed is non-negotiable. I don’t care how late it is. I dont care how poorly they behaved that day. We read before bed. We connect. We learn. We go on that adventure. I never want my kids to fear books being taken away. Reading will always be an adventure we go on every night.
