9 Tips for Dads to Encourage Reading

Whether your child is a toddler or a teenager, dads & stepdads can encourage the irreplaceable love of reading. Here's how:
(Pronouns alternate between daughter and son.)

1. Read to them. From her earliest days, read stories to your child from a picture book, the newspaper, or anyplace else. Your infant needs to hear your voice, and if she hears you reading, you help connect her to the excitement of the written word. When she's ready, invite her to read aloud to you and show her how much you enjoy listening. Some dads and daughters still read aloud when the daughter is a teenager or adult, because it's a special "just us" time together.
2. Show them books. Pictures in a book (or the actual world outside) are far more effective for a toddler's brain development than any video or TV show. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO screen time for children under 2, because it can disrupt healthy brain development. On the other hand, reading together stimulates intellectual and social development.
3. Be patient. If you've ever tried to learn a new language as an adult, you understand how incredible it is for a pre-schooler to learn to speak and read her own language. It takes time! Play  with letters together, help him learn and manipulate them. Most kids learn to read at their own pace with encouragement and exposure to letters and books.
4. Go to the library together. Libraries have something for people of every age and background. No matter how old she is, you can help turn her on to the joys of wondering the stacks and discovering hidden treasures of books around every corner.
5. Make books together. When he's young, scribble together in crayon on construction paper, and then fold the pieces together to make a book. Doesn't matter if it appears "real" to you or is just jibberish-he'll have the pride of creating a book. For more book-making ideas, see The Dads & Daughters Togetherness Guide: 54 Fun Activities to Help Build a Great Relationship.
6. Be eclectic. It's OK for teenagers to still like "Goodnight Moon" while simultaneously being passionate about anime, Jane Austin and Twilight. Reading is reading, so encourage it all.
7. Be curious. Ask your child about what she's reading, and be willing to answer questions about what you're reading (or anything else). Encourage her to ask questions about what a book says-and to use that critical thinking and curiosity in the rest of her life.
8. Power down. Too much time at a screen--TV, computer, video game, cell phone, etc,--inhibits your child's interest in reading and his ability to read well. Turn off screens, limit screen time, and cut back on the electronic toys. Simple toys (like blocks, crayons, and cardboard boxes) stimulate creative play, social and mental development, and lay a good foundation for reading.
9. Make time to read yourself. A big chunk of our fatherly influence comes from the example we set for our kids and stepkids. Get into reading yourself, and be eclectic-comic books are OK for you, too! Your enjoyment is infectious and triggers your child's interest.

Learn more about healthy fathering @ www.TheDadMan.com.

Fathers Day & Birth Days

I like Fathers Day because I get good cards & messages from my kids and because I get to go out to eat. As a long-time advocate for fathers & stepfathers,  I also like that folks spend at least a few moments thinking about involved fatherhood and its meaning.

No single experience transformed me as a human being more than the experience of being a father to my children. Taking the chance to be an at-home dad for some of their childhood, I felt the immediacy of that visceral, spiritual connection between father and child—a connection that continues 30 years later.

My kids are grown now, but that fact hasn’t changed some things. They are still important to me, and vice versa—although in different and continually evolving ways. I’ve also been blessed over the years to hear stories from thousands of fathers and kids, as a teacher and advocate for engaged fathering and stepfathering.

All of those stories and experiences renforce my measure of “engagement” for fathers: as a Dad, am I committing  the same level of intensity as I did the day my child was born? The day of wonder and mystery and legacy when I first held my child in my hands?

So, there’s a Fathers Day wish: may every day as a dad bring you as much experience as possible of the intensity and wonder and commitment of fathering.

Father's Day Fill In the Blanks

This Fathers Day, take a step beyond honoring dad with a card or gift. Set aside a few moments to learn something more about your own father, stepfather, father-in-law...and learn about yourself as a father. Fill in the blanks in the 10 statements below and then share them with your dad--and your kids.

If your father or stepfather is gone, show you answers to your spouse, partner, siblings, and/or other loved ones. (Thanks to Gary Burns & his daughters, creators of The Communications Game, for help with this list)

What I admire most about my father is ____. I say that because ____.

I really want my father to know ______. I say that because ______.

The time I felt most loved in my life was when ______. I say that because ______.

I wish my father and I had more time or ability to ___________ together. I say that because ______.

My greatest joy in life today is _______. I say that because ______. What is your greatest joy, Dad?

My greatest satisfaction in life today is _______. I say that because ______. What is your greatest satisfaction, Dad?

What I value most in a friend is _______. I say that because ______.

For me, loyalty means _________. I say that because ________.

Of all the people who died before I was born, I would most like to visit with ______. I say that because ________.

The thing I will remember most about my father is _________. I say that because ________.