Our Reading Dinners

We love reading! My husband and I try to read a lot, Big C reads a ton, and Little R is finding his reading niche. But life can be busy, and sometimes it's hard to find time to read throughout the day. So I wanted to share something we do to help get more book time into our lives.

Reading Dinners!

I'll preface this by saying as a family we spend a lot of time together. My husband works from home, and we don't have a lot of after school/evening/weekend activities that don't include all of us. We eat dinner together as a family almost every night. I should also point out that we are mostly a family of introverts. While Little R definitely would qualify as an extrovert, even he appreciates some occasional quiet. So on those days when we're all a bit tired, when no one really wants to just chatter, we all pick a book and bring it to the table to read while we eat.

This has been wonderful for our family. It gives my husband and myself a break to enjoy a book for half an hour at a time we wouldn't normally have the chance (which is extra beneficial to my husband as he works crazy long hours, this is a great mental break for him in his day). It's fantastic for our boys, they learn that reading can be for pleasure, not just for homework. And while we often do it so we can enjoy some quiet and recharge, it actually often leads to great conversations. What we're reading, what the story is about, what we like/dislike about it, why we chose it, etc. I find it keeps us in the loop with what they're interested in (something other then the video game their currently obsessed with). We know when Big C has started a new series, or that Little R is more into fact books at the moment. Little R is still young and has only been reading on his own for the last year or so, but even before that he would bring a Find It book (like the 'Where's Waldo' type books), or a Chirp magazine or a picture book of some sort. We are not fussy about what they read, we're happy for them to explore many different types of materials and this is a great way to offer them the time to do it.

One other bonus is that I like to experiment with new recipes often. If I'm not sure how they'll react to a new meal, a reading dinner helps to distract them a bit and they are often more open to trying something new. There is a small downside, meal times can take a bit longer. But we're not usually in any hurry, and we enjoy taking our time.

Are there ways you like to incorporate reading into your regular daily grind? Is reading something you love and share as a family? How do you encourage your kids to enjoy reading?