GRAND Magazine - March/April 2017 - Subscribe Today! - 8

grandfather knows best

Granddad reads
and leads
BY KEN CANFIELD

Massachusetts Colony law enacted in 1644 stated that
heads of households should be responsible for teaching their children to read. What if, instead of enacting
another new law, grandparents were vigilant and made sure
our grandchildren became avid readers?

5 Reasons why reading with
grandkids matters

Reading brings us into close proximity to our grandchild.
When you read with your young grandchild, you share
the same book and look at the pictures together. I believe
that's why grandparents come with laps.
Reading makes you interesting. If you read in a monotone, your grandchild might doze off. (Which is sometimes a good thing.) But with Dr. Seuss or Berenstain Bears,
it's nearly impossible to read without changing your voice for
different characters, acting scared or surprised, and involving
yourself in the story line. Exploring different emotions with
your grandchild helps them to be honest about their feelings
with you.
Reading together gives you a chance to observe and
enjoy your grandchild. Out of the corner of my eye, I love
to watch my granddaughter Flora react to a story. She thinks.
She wonders. She worries. She smiles. Knowing how they
respond to stories will help you communicate the important
stuff you want them to learn from you.
While reading you can ask questions like, "What does
that mean?" or "What do you think you would have

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MARCH APRIL 2017

done?" (C.S. Lewis books are great for this.) You can learn
more about your grandson, teach him values, and monitor his
level of understanding and maturity.
You learn from each other. My oldest granddaughter,
Blythe, reads real books and learns things I can't teach
her. She recommends books to me!
The biggest thrill is when you see the grandkids reading
alone. And Granddad, it starts with your example.

Ken with one of his 11
grandchildren, Tenley

Ken R Canfield, Ph.D is the founder of
the National Center for Fathering and
most recently the National Association
for Grandparenting, at Grands Matter,
grandsmatter.org. He is a regular reader of
GRAND Magazine and believes the golden
age of grandparenting is beginning to dawn.

http://www.grandsmatter.org/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - March/April 2017 - Subscribe Today!