Dads and Books
Aloha from Karen Whiting
James reading to son Jesse
My children loved having their daddy read to them and I enjoy watching my sons read books to their children. They make different sound effects and can turn a book into playtime or a chat time.
Encourage the men in your life to read to their children with these tips:
- Find books men would enjoy reading. This includes books with lots of sound effects, books about sports, and books with animals.
- Set aside a special time each day. They could read after supper or at bedtime. Once a routine is established it’s easy to keep it going.
- Encourage Dad to take the children to the library to find books together.
- Encourage your child to act out a book for Dad and then let him read it.
Capture memories by recording them and taking photos. Now that my husband passed away one of our children took the old cassette tapes of his reading to our children and digitalized them. We still have most of the books in the recordings. - Try to get a copy of a book Dad enjoyed as a child to share and chat about what he liked about the book.
Specific ideas: Devotions as great books with Dads
My newest book is a devotional for little girls and makes it easy for a dad to read in just a few minutes. The One-Year My Princess Devotions helps a dad show his daughter she is a princess and he loves her. It also helps him be the spiritual leader in the home.
Let Dad give the book as a gift with it wrapped, or present it with a little crown. They could enjoy a tea party as they talk about how they will read the book.
New release from Karen Whiting
When Dads travel
Use the Internet or a phone to connect and buy a second copy of a devotional. That way Dad can read even when on a trip.
If the time zones don’t work out, let your child color a picture after you read the book or devotion. He or she can share the pictures when Dad returns to reconnect over books.
Building memories
As a child my Dad read to me but often read his favorite stories like the Gift of the Magi. I never forgot the stories he read as it was such a treat for me. He was the first person who read to my oldest son and that was a book about a duck. My son followed his grandpa around saying, “Book, book.”
Share your memories of you Dad reading to you or your husband reading to your children!
Thanks, Karen , www.karenwhiting.com 
These are great ideas, Karen. I like that you focused on Dads reading to their kids. It’s an angle that doesn’t get enough attention, but is so important. A wonderful post. Thank you!
Thanks Linda. Promoting family bonds is a passion of mine so I love to bring Dads into activities with children. I had a wonderful dad, great hubby who served in the CG,. and now tow of my sons are dads who read to their children.
Love this focus, Karen!
A book my husband enjoyed as a child was The Man Who Lost His Head. He recently found a used library copy and gave it to our six-year-old grandson as part of his birthday gifts. Beforehand, he had e-mailed a list of unusual words in the book for our grandson–who reads extremely well already–to look up with his mom. Then when they were in person, they had quite a good time reading the book together.
It’s never too early to begin. I have photos of my husband reading to our daughters when they were babies. And both my sons-in-law read to the two babies who joined our family in 2012. They’re off to a good start!
Thanks for this post!
Thanks Diane! I love your story. I would like to see those photos. The one I used in the post is my middle son James.
Love this post, Karen! Such a good reminder that Dad can be the book reader too. Reading books is a bonding experience between the child and the adult reader–and it doesn’t always have to be a mother-child experience.
Your new book looks great!
Thanks Crystal, I’m glad you like it!