Read to the Kids -- "Bonking" Game

Recently, there was an article in the paper that reported a survey indicating parents spend very little time these days reading to their kids at bedtime.

That finding probably doesn't surprise anyone. For whatever reasons -- long work hours, late-night fatigue -- bedtime story time seems to have gone the way of family dinner time.

And it's unfortunate.

Reading bedtime stories is so important to youngsters in so many ways, especially when they are so young and learning how to read for themselves. It shows them the importance of the written word, the happiness and magic contained on the pages of a book and the confidence that comes with learning how to read, not to mention the vocabulary and the word/grammar patterns they pick up by osmosis as they navigate their way through a book, all of which is instrumental in turning them into independent and enthusiastic writers.

But it's unfortunate for another reason, too.

Reading bedtime stories is a perfect opportunity to unwind from a busy day and bond with your kids. It should be fun -- for both the kids and the parents.

When our kids were little, we used to play a game when I read to them. Our kids, Amy (now 27), Jeffrey (25) and Emily (21) had their favorite books, so we would tend to read many of the same books over and over. It got so that even before they could technically read, they memorized and could recite the words by heart, knowing what words were on each page even if they didn't really know how to read them.

So when I would read, I would make mistakes on purpose. And as they got older, this would translate into what we called our "bonking" game. If they caught me making a mistake, they could hit me with their pillow. It was amazing how many mistakes I would make! They were paying rapt attention and didn't miss one of the mistakes! As they got stronger, my head would get a little sore from all of their "bonks" with the pillow, but so what?

The game would dissolve into a spirited pillow fight, which was great fun full of great bonding memories and the opportunity to have them associate reading with giggles, smiles and fun. Because reading is fun, right? And what better way to nudge their imaginations?

So take a few minutes out of your busy schedule. It doesn't take long to read a picture book (Mercer Mayer's "There's A Nightmare in My Closet" and "Just Go To Bed" were favorites, as was any book from Marc Brown's series of "Arthur" books). Read to the kids. Have the pillows handy. Have some fun.