We believe that Real Dads Read will be a great project in Atlanta( and eventually other cities) to not just increase literacy activities for fathers and their children, but to also change the negative media narrative and images around Black men / fathers. Real Dads Read is an ideal opportunity to help elevate a counternarrative by providing a great two generational approach to services for parents and children.
Four Ways for Fathers to Inspire a Love of Reading in Their Children
What is important to a father will be important to his kids. The early years of a child’ s life can be the most informative, so the key is to introduce the child early and often to reading. Follow these tips below to show your child that it is extremely valuable to read not just for enjoyment, but to read for knowledge.
1. Go to the Library From the smallest town to the biggest city, every place has a library to explore. According to the Office for National Statistics, a little less than 30 percent of all men used a library at least once in the last year. As a comparison, about 45 percent of all women have used the library at least once in the last year. So, dads, once every week, every family should take a trip to their local library. Show kids everything the library has to offer. Walk them into the different sections, review how e-books or audiobooks work, look at the daily newspapers, and talk with the librarians by asking their thoughts on why a library is perhaps the best field trip a child can take. Your child will remember this throughout the years,
and the library will be a safe haven for them for the rest of their lives. Their memories of these trips will be priceless and passed down from generation to generation.
2. Set a Good Example Your son or daughter will duplicate whatever they see you do. Even if you have never been a voracious reader in the past, becoming one will ensure that your child will be one as well. And the number one indication of academic success later on in life in young children is not only their ability to read, but how much time is spent reading.
3. Limit Television Time Parents that spend hours in front of the television everyday are showing their children that it has a sort of control over them. Be aware of this and be wary. Raising a couch potato not only takes time away from their studies, but it prevents them from building relationships with others. Plus, in a society where almost 50 percent of the population of adults are overweight or clinically obese, limiting television exposure can help combat this problem. The number one thing that people do while watching television is overeat. Setting reading time for the entire family every night prevents a dull imagination and actually will benefit everyone’ s health.