When Do I Read to My Kids?

It’s 8:30 at night, dishes are piled in the sink, toys are scattered on the floor and there’s Mia in the midst of it all, running around like the Energizer bunny with a fresh pack of batteries. By the time that we get her a cup of milk, put her in her jammies and get her to her room, I am exhausted! We have chores that need done and things that need laid out for tomorrow too! We don’t feel like sitting down and reading a book with her in bed. If we do, one book becomes two, two becomes four and so on. So, the bedtime story gets skipped tonight.

Okay, so this isn’t our house every night, (thank goodness! I wouldn’t survive it!) but it does happen. More often than I’d like to admit and I feel like a horrible mom! The mom guilt rolls in. If you’ve watched my 9 Reasons Why I’m a Bad Mom, you’ve heard this before. It seriously takes 5-10 minutes if I limit the number of books, but I still don’t always do it.

So, that’s what brings me to this post. If I’m not reading to my kids at bedtime every night, I NEED to be reading to them at some point in the day! I mean we see statistics all over the place like these and these that tell us how important it is to read to our kids! And if we can’t always do it at night, when are we supposed to be doing it?! Here are some creative moments I have discovered.

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Meal Times

So the other day I was watching a video by A Catholic Mom’s Life and she was reading to her kids during lunch, and I was like duh! Why didn’t I think of that?! It is really a win, win situation. The kids are entertained so they sit longer and therefore tend to eat more. They also can’t get up or touch the pages.

So, I have done this only twice now, but it has worked pretty well. The only down side is that I can’t eat at the same time. So, this worked best when I was waiting for Cody to get home to eat with him. The second time I was trying to eat at the same time and it was a little more difficult. We only managed one book instead of two.

Bath Time

This one I came up with all on my own. If books kept my kids calm and focused during meal time, why not bath time? So we gave it a shot and it worked! My kids are NOT bath fans these days, but the books helped keep them entertained so we could get them washed. The biggest problem is trying to keep the books dry! We might have to give some bath books a try.

Potty Time

Books were a LIFESAVER when trying to potty train! We always had a stack of books in the bathroom for when Mia needed to “go.” She would sit on the potty and we would read, and Read, and READ. She never said she was done until we read all the books we had sitting by the toilet. Our favorite potty time book is What is Poop?, but we read any and every book while trying to get her to sit on the potty.

Road Trips

It might not always be the most convenient, but another time we find to read to our kids is in the car. Any time we are going on a half hour trip or longer, I will throw some books in the car for Mia to look at. However, I don’t usually read them to the kids unless it is a longer trip of a couple hours or more. I will jump in the back and keep them entertained with a few stories while Cody acts as our chauffeur! The key is to do it at the right time so I’m not stuck in the back the whole car ride!

At the Doctor’s Office

With two kids in the middle of winter, it seems like we are at the doctor’s office more than is acceptable! And everyone knows we usually end up waiting at least a little bit, especially if you go in on Saturday. If I remember, I try to throw a book or two into the diaper bag so I don’t have to pull out my phone or sing for the whole doctor’s office to hear just so I can keep Mia away from the hazardous wastes can that she always tries to play with!

At Church

Okay, so this isn’t really a time when I read to the kids, but it is a time that they look at books. Sometimes I’ll whisper a few words if Mia’s starting to get antsy. I try to pick some out that have biblical stories, but to be honest, if they keep the kids quiet, its a win!

The Result

So as I have been more contentious of using these times to read to the kids, I have started noticing a trend. They want to be read to more! During free play time, Mia will go pick more books off of the shelf and ask to be read to. She will also ask her dad to read more books to her when he is home as well. When we create a culture of reading in our home, our kids pick up on it and start initiating it more themselves. It is a wonderful habit to get into! (And then I don’t have to feel so guilty when I don’t read to them at night!)

When do you like to read to your kids? What strategies work best for you? Leave a comment below I am always looking to shake up our reading routine as it is often we find ourselves in a rut!

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Some of Our Favorite Books