Long before we grow up and find someone to love and share our lives with, our first loves are our parents.  And reading with a parent is something that most adults remember doing.  Sharing a book together is a truly wonderful way to grow and keep that bond of love between you and your child.  With the help of Alice, Wendy, Gill, Adele, Emma, Cliona and Rosalyn, I have compiled 14 reasons why

Love is … reading together

1.   It’s one-on-one no-distraction quiet time.
2.   Snuggle time at any time of the day but especially at bed-time.
3.   A chance to re-read the books you loved as a child.
4.   You are helping your child to learn about reading and the world around them.
5.   You witness the joy that stories bring to them.  From their eyes lighting up when they choose a book to hearing them join in with stories.
6.   Your children can experience fantastical worlds with you.
7.   Stories together lead to questions which lead to conversations.
8.   It’s fun; especially if you use different voices for all the characters or act out the stories together.
9.   Reading stories encourages imaginative play and soon your little ones will be making up their own stories.
10.  Re-reading school books together helps with their learning and shows them you are interested in and supportive of their lives.
11.  Reading books together will help your child understand what he/she likes; fiction or non-fiction.
12.  Choosing a book with a message is a wonderful way to teach without preaching.
13.  You can watch them copying you as one day you’ll discover them quietly reading to their dollies and teddies.  I promise you, your heart will melt. 
14.  It makes for the calmest, snuggliest bedtimes.

If you’d like to join in with book-y chats, head over my Facebook page Kindness Book Club.