Resolve to read (aloud) more in 2021

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     A new year invariably means new year resolutions. We all make them because…well, that’s the thing you do at the beginning of a fresh year, right? But how many of us stick to our resolutions? I would guess most of us can keep the momentum and enthusiasm going for maybe the first month after the ball drops. And then it’s just downhill from there.

     If there is one thing that 2020 taught us, it’s that life is completely and totally unpredictable and the only constant we can reply upon with absolute certainty is change. No matter what else goes on, something is bound to change…especially when we least expect it. And as parents we know all too well that the unexpected is lurking around the corner, just waiting for us to let our guard down long enough for it to sneak up behind us and yell, “BOO!” As parents, we never know when something will be the last time because our children are growing and maturing at such an alarming rate, we can’t really keep up. One minute you’re helping tie their shoes, then you blink and they’re driving off to college. There is one thing, however, that you can do for and with your child no matter how old they are and that’s read.

Read aloud to you child.
Listen to your child read aloud to you.
Read the books that your child loves.
Share your own reading life.
Discuss what you’re reading.

     Books have the power to bring people together, particularly a parent and child. Through books, lasting bonds are created, nurtured and memories are made. So, I challenge you now to resolve to make 2021 the year of the book. I’ll help you get started:

I resolve...

• to read more in 2021.
• to read aloud to my child every day, even if I’m tired.
• to do all the silly voices when I'm reading, even I feel really awkward doing it, because it makes my child smile.
• to not roll my eyes when my child asks to read that same book for the hundredth time.
• to choose books based on more than their literary value.
• to share my favorite books with my child and be open to having their favorites shared with me so we can lose hours to long discussions.
• to 'fill my home with stacks of books...in all the crannies and all the nooks.'
  
• to make more use of my public library and to do my best to remember to bring the books back on time, without any bite marks or baby drool marring them.

Read One Dad's Reading Resolutions for the New Year from Brightly.

Happy reading all year long!

-Kate @ BTBL

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Author

We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 5) for Kate, and two sons (now 3 and 1) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.