We recognize as parents, grandparents, caregivers, and aunties and uncles that reading with our littles is GOOD for them; it’s beneficial for their developing minds and it’s good for their hearts too, providing quiet time away from all the other “stuff” of life.  As Father’s Day approaches, we can recognize and celebrate the benefits that the men in our lives have on our littles- even when reading.

While we celebrate DADS especially on Father’s Day, it’s important to recognize that all families are different.  Some have a father present in the home, some fathers live or serve in other places, some fathers have gone on to their heavenly homes, some families have a grandfather or uncle present in their lives, and other families have male figures that have been adopted into the family!

Here in the US, we celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June, which will be June 15 this year.  According to Timeanddate.com,  “This special day honors fatherhood and the positive role that fathers and father figures play in the lives of their children and families.  It is a time to thank fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, guardians, and other male role models for their love, guidance, and support. Whether it’s a quiet meal or a big celebration, this day is all about showing appreciation for the important role fathers play in our lives.”

Can these male figures have significant influence on our children in regard to the impact of reading?

Research supports that they do.   This is from Dads4Kids in The Daily Dad: Harvard-trained Dr Elisabeth Duursma said, “In most families, mothers are the ones who read most frequently to their children. A recent study conducted by the Booktrust in Britain found that mothers are 50 per cent more likely to read to their children than fathers… but concluded that fathers reading to their children had more significant impact than a mothers’ book reading.  When they looked more closely at what was happening during book reading interactions, they found that fathers used more abstract and complex language.”  This can encourage more abstract and complex-creative thinking!

When fathers read to their children, it has a different impact than when mothers read. Researcher, Elisabeth Duursma in The Fathering Project.org found that “when mothers read to their children, they tend to focus more on the events in the book, prompting the children by asking them to name the object, the colors,  and what they actually see. Fathers, on the other hand, tend to relate events in the book to outside contexts and their child’s own experiences or to a specific memory”—-fathers might be more prone to making connections to daily life.

But, of course, moms, aunties, and nanas, we should definitely make time to regularly read with the children in our lives:  we have great influence too!   My personal opinion on this is that as moms and nanas, we are usually multi-tasking and thinking about the story we are reading, as well as the next afternoon activity and what we’re preparing for dinner, and the shopping list, and the phone call we need to make, and, well, you get it!   It’s just important for us to recognize that the impact our guys can have on our children is important and significant.   As we plan to Book Time with Our Kids, let’s be sure to include stories that will be fun for our guys to dig into.

On a personal note, I have to thank my dad for all hours he spent reading to me as a child.   He and my mother did a beautiful job instilling the love of reading.  And, they both still spend a lot of time reading, and I’m just sayin’, their minds are so sharp!

My grandsons spend A LOT of time in their daddy’s lap, reading about trucks, tractors and excavators.   They can spend “mucho tiempo” literally studying wheels and different types of transportation.  Can I relate to these stories?  Not really.  Will I try to?- of course!   But even better would be me admitting that somebody else with a different perspective will even have more fun and influence than Nana!

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