What can we say about dads? They do so much. There are simply too many things to list! But as we approach the celebration of Father’s Day this month, we want to focus on one important activity many dads embrace. What is it? They read to their children. And when they do, fathers are taking part in the important work of building their children’s literacy. But beyond that, dads who read to their children also build a close relationship with them and develop their children’s thinking skills. Perhaps best of all, though, is that fathers who read to their children are actively creating memories that will be cherished by their children for years to come. Recently Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker hosted a Facebook Live event where they each reflected on their own memories of their fathers reading to them. You can enjoy viewing the recording here.
Over the past few years to honor dads on Father’s Day, we have held a special drawing named, appropriately enough, “Dad is Reading.” You can enter this year’s drawing here; however, you can receive a double entry by also snapping a photo of Dad (or if Dad is not able to be there, a photo of Mom) reading to the children, and then share it with us on social media, using the hashtag #dadisreading (Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram). Or if you prefer, email the photo directly to dadisreading@IEW.com, and we can post it to our page for you.
When you read to your kids, where are you? Is it around the family dinner table after dinner? Or perhaps it’s under a blanket fort in the family room. Could it be while cuddled up together on the couch or maybe even in the great outdoors? Share your photos with us. Each Friday in June we will randomly draw a name to win a copy of Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. Additionally, if you need any great book ideas, we have a couple of suggestions. Take a look at our IEW Recommended Reading List for one. There’s sure to be a book on it that will appeal to everyone in the family. Additionally, you can pop over to Sarah Mackenzie’s website, Read-Aloud Revival, to try out her new book suggestion tool.
We look forward to seeing all of your great photos, and we hope you also enjoy viewing all of the submissions as they are shared. From all of us at IEW, we wish every dad a very happy Father’s Day.
