Children’s Books: A Beginner’s Guide to Bonding with Your Children Through Books
What is the importance of bonding through children’s books? Let’s start here and see if we connect on these items. My concerns as a mom, with limited time, are the following:
- Am I doing enough? I often struggle with how to raise a boy as a single mom.
- Am I spending enough time with my son? What is good parenting anyway?
- Am I raising a good human? Nobody warns you or has a codebook on how to raise a child.
- How can you raise a successful child? Can a single parent raise a successful child?
- Who am I sending into the world every day? For parents who do everything for their child– how can we be sure that ‘everything’ is the right thing?
Can you relate to any of the items on my list?
Why Should We Bond with Our Kids Through Children’s Books?
As a busy mom, is this the best use of my time?
A little background:
I’m a single mom and I have been since the beginning. My son, Aidyn, is 6 years old and is what I like to call a ‘bounce about’ kid. In other words, he cannot sit still!
I work a demanding full-time job that never seems to slow down. I’ve switched roles and industries, searching for the magic position that would not leave me feeling dead tired at the end of the day.
Reality…
It doesn’t work that way. There are no perfect jobs for single moms (or moms in general). Secondly, even if my role was not as demanding, as a mom always looking to do more, be more, give more– I would probably fill that newly found time with other activities for my son.
While this is not a terrible thing– I would still be craving meaningful one-on-one time with my son. Time in a space where everything is slowed down and I can talk to him about what is in his head. Or create an environment where he feels comfortable enough to just start… talking. Sounds like a dream, right? But it isn’t!
What Does It Mean to Bond Through Children’s Books?
There is a reason this blog focuses on bonding through books for the busy mom. Besides all the benefits of reading, who can think of a more relaxing hobby? Using reading as the platform by which we have one-on-one time with our kids allows them a time to slow down and us (moms!) a time to relax! Win-Win!
In addition, some of the most important conversations I’ve had with Aidyn (bullying, loss, friendship) came after reading a book. It is not enough to just sit together and hope the dialogue comes. A well-selected children’s book provides the needed dialogue.
Let’s talk about a few things 😉
Spending time with our kids does not always have to be:
- Spending hours playing with toys
- Play fighting…smh Guilty! #boymomlife
- or sitting in front of the tv for hours of screentime
To clarify, we still do some of the above! Reading time, however, has become our sanctuary. Reading is a relaxing feel-good time for both of us. Even with a ‘bounce about’ kid, you can still relax after a long day with a good book and reap the benefits of reading without it feeling like work.
How To Get Started with Bonding Through Children’s Books for Busy Moms
To get started we have to figure out a few things:
- What kind of time can we set aside for reading? Even in single parenthood.
- How to get the most out of a limited amount of time? Even as a busy mommy.
- What it means to ‘read-aloud’? Even if you yourself aren’t a great reader.
- How to choose books? From children’s books reviews to a children’s books list of faves and lists of awards for children’s books– we’ve got you covered!
- How to get your hands on books your family will love? How do you find a subscription for children’s books? We can help you earn children’s books for free! (yes, free!) Ask us how!
How This Blog Can Help:
This blog is set up to show busy moms how to make all this work. How to find a bit of time in the day (time you didn’t realize you had), to spend meaningful intimate time with your kids. Reading with your kids, read-alouds in particular, has so many benefits. The main and most important one is your kids feel loved! Did you know a child’s self-esteem is built on having a parent that wants to spend healthy time with them!
This is the time you have carved out to spend with them one-on-one. Time that you’ll never regret!
Tips for Success in Bonding Through Children’s Books for Busy Moms
How can we be successful in this together? It starts with a very important piece of the puzzle– our children! Think about these things:
- What does your kid like to do? What are their interests? Aidyn loves animals! So I am always searching for books with beautiful animal illustration.
- What themes are you focused on? (These will change over time or day to day even) ex. kindness, learning basic good manners, loss of a pet 🙁
- How do we find authors that have won awards for children’s books and why are they important?
- How do we have meaningful dialogue around books?
- How can we amp up screentime? (I work in cybersecurity FT, I am not against screentime and want my kid to be comfortable using technology) — We use the Epic! reading app on his iPad
Common Questions/ FAQs About Bonding Through Children’s Books for Busy Moms
Obvious Question: I’m a busy Mom! I am panicking at the thought of reading as a chore. How often do we need to read for it to be effective?
Answer: One of the main questions I get on our Instagram is: How do you find the time to read all these books?!
Yes, I’m a busy single Mom. We just love to read and can read almost 5 books a day over the weekend. A normal day is 2 picture books and 1 chapter of a chapter book for kids. On busy days, however, 10 minutes of reading (anything, literally anything!) is a win. As long as that 10 minutes belongs to your children.
Question: What is the age limit? My kid will not sit down to be read to!
Answer: A child is never too old for a read aloud. Even adults enjoy read-alouds (think Audiobooks). And they do not need to sit still either. Kids can color, play, eat, dance, wiggle, and roll while you are reading! They are STILL listening. And as long as you made that time about them, it is still meaningful.
Question: What if I am not a great reader?
Answer: You do not need to be. Start light. Pick up a phonics series with a great story (we have awesome ones). Your kid will never know the difference. Bonus: You will learn to read better together.
Question: What if my child doesn’t like the books I select? What makes a good read aloud book?
Answer: Let your child choose by allowing them to physically select books or by paying attention to their interests. One of the ways I pick books is by paying attention to the toys Aidyn has been gravitating toward. For instance:
- Has he played with his Avenger Legos a bunch of times this week? Ok. Superhero books
- Has he been asking to watch Jurassic Park? Ok. Dinosaur books
- Does my kid love to hear about himself? (Yes! lol) Find children’s books with their name in story
Question: How do I find books?
Answer: We just happen to provide a curated list of children’s books for those that sign up. The books are chosen from over 2,000 engaging books in our store. In addition, you have access to our children’s books lists and infographics of awards for children’s books.
Question: What if I cannot afford to buy all these books? How can I build my library?
Answer: The library really is a terrific resource. As a young child, it was my favorite place to go. Research does show, however, that there is a direct relationship between success in life and book ownership. If purchasing books is an issue for you, we can discuss party hosting to snag the best books for your family for free. We love book parties!
The Last Thing You Need to Know about Bonding Through Children’s Books for Busy Moms
When we read with our kids, we step outside of the noise, the hustle, the friction, and for just a few minutes, we are completely and totally present with them.
Sarah Mackenzie
Reading with our kids is really the best use of our time. It allows us time to relax and unwind with our children. Reading one-on-one creates meaningful dialogue when we need it most.
My prayer is that this blog helps you bond with your kids through books.
Start your journey with a free curated list of children’s books or let us know where you are in your journey in the comments below.
