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