The holidays are exciting and busy for families. All the fun can hurt a hard-earned habit of daily reading . Instead of putting reading aside for the holidays, why not make books a central part of your celebration? Reading together can make for excellent family time and a break from the hectic schedule. Books that are special to holiday celebrations can become treasured family possessions for generations.
Use Books to Increase Anticipation
A major component of the holiday season are all the events that increase excitement about the upcoming celebration. Watching favorite movies, decorating the house, purchasing gifts and food items all increase the anticipation. Consider using holiday themed books to add to the excitement. One suggestion is to wrap up one book for each day in advance of the holiday. Do whatever length of time you are comfortable with such as 1 week, 12 days, 24 days, etc. Use books you own along with some new surprises. Each day have your child open a holiday book and read it together. You will make memories while increasing the anticipation and excitement for your child.
Use Books to Learn About Other Cultures
Books such as Christmas Around the World by Mary Lankford show how other cultures celebrate. Children often find it fascinating learning how a holiday is done differently in other areas of the world. This can also increase knowledge of geography. It is even possible that your family will decide to try out a new tradition this year based on what you learn!
You can see a great list of Christmas and Winter books here.
We also have a wonderful assortment of Hanukkah books to see here.
The 1st Gift of Christmas
A fantastic idea is to wrap a book as the first gift your child opens on Christmas morning. Many kids wake up at the crack of dawn, or before, to see what presents await. Parents often aren’t quite ready to get up so early. Leaving a wrapped up book on the child’s bed will give them something to open right away and enjoy independently when they first wake up. Hopefully it will allow the rest of the family to sleep a little longer before the festivities begin!
Increase your holiday enjoyment this year by including books in the celebration! The above three ideas are simple to implement and will add to the memories you and your family make!