Making Reading Fun - Advent Calendar Idea

We talked a little about different types of Advent Calendars and how they have grown beyond just little chocolates. One of the examples we gave was an Advent Calendar made of books. Now this is a great idea for children and adults, depending on the people on your list. I will say, that a lot of times parents will say, "My kid doesn't like reading". And it seems to be more and more common with television and internet gaining popularity especially with children.

I am a firm believe that no one "hates reading" they simply have had a bad experience with it. Adults probably don't like reading because of how they have interacted with books their whole life. In my experience if a child doesn't enjoy reading they will turn into an adult that doesn't like reading, unless something changes. And that is usually "That One Book".

I hated reading also. It was soooooo boring and it was a lot of work when I was in kid (just learning to read). I couldn't read well and it was just easier to be read to. And that is okay. You should be proud and happy if your child wants you to read to them. This means they are interested in books, even if they aren't interesting in reading. Which is a great start. Harry Potter was "That One Book" for me. My Mom had started reading it to me, and we read the first three books together. And eventually she was too busy to read to me, and so I just picked the book up and read it myself. I was so pulled in by the story I had to know what happened.

So with that being said, I think the best way to get children and adults into reading is to give them options. It is okay to not like every book. It is okay to hate the books that they read in school. The important thing is to find something your child, yourself, your person will like and enjoy. And even if that is just a book they read once or a book you have to read to your child all the time. It will make reading easier, it will make finding books your child/person likes easier.

So for the next three weeks we are going to look at books that would be great options to make an advent calendar out of. (Note we are going to do a 12 day calendar but you can absolutely do more.) Today we are going to look at books for children around 2 to 4 or 3 to 5 ish so just about to start school.

** Warnings and Disclaimers: these books are being offers as suggestions. It is up to parents/relatives/the person buying said books to exercise their common sense when buying these books. **

Mad About Munsch! - This is a collection of Robert Munsch books, these were so popular as a child. And even as an adult I still have Robert Munsch books in my library. "I Love You Forever" is my favourite childhood book, and my mother reading it to me was one of the highlights of my childhood. To be honest any Robert Munsch book would be a wonderful gift. (Some of my personal favourites are: 50 Below Zero, Smelly Socks, Thomas' Snowsuit, Alligator Baby, Aaron's Hair, Angela's Airplane).
Hockey Themed Books - This obviously isn't a specific book but a theme. If you find your little one is already interested in watching hockey on the TV or already playing in a local league this theme may pique their interest. Some great ones are: Great Too - this one is inspired by the late, great Walter Gretzky and his time as a coach, The Night Before the Playoffs - this is a cute "Canadian" take on a Christmas classic, Z is for Zamboni, and Erik the Elk: The Big Hockey Game.
The Berenstain Bears - There has been some controversy over these books in the last few years. Some find them "too preachy" or "morales and lessons disguised as children's books". Personally, I loved these as a kid, and I think most would. It is a family of cute little bears! I also think that a lot of the books have good lessons that make it more understandable for kids, and really teach life lessons in a fun way. I also find if your children watch these cartoons, they may be more interested in reading the books based on them (at least that is how it was for me growing up!).
Goodnight Moon and To The Moon and Back - These books were some of my absolute favourites. They are classics with beautiful pictures and a cute little story you would expect from children's books. Goodnight Moon may be a little higher in the age range, but I think they are both beautiful stories to read to your children at night.
Books about Animals - Again another theme, but this is very popular with young children and there are so many books out there that use animals as entertainment. Let's face it, most young children love animals. I love the "Bright Baby Touch & Feel" books, they have little sections your child can touch and feel what an animal feels like! Roger Priddy has books about "On the Farm", "At the Zoo", and "Baby Animals". These books are for younger children, but the theme of animals continues s your child grows. Some great books that make animals the centre focus are: The Very Sleepy Bear by Nick Bland, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr., Bear Stays Up for Christmas, Clifford the Big Red Dog series, and the Peppa Pig series. (Again if your children watch the cartoons they will love these books!) And my personal favourite The Mitten by Jan Brett.
Dr. Suess Books - lately his books have been made controversial. This is very unfortunate in my opinion because Dr. Suess was a huge part of my childhood, and I think most people's childhood. It is natural to want to hand down these stories to your children. They have a lot of Dr. Suess collections for kids ( The Little Blue Box of Bright and Early Board Books - on Amazon, The Little Green Box of Bright and Early Board Books - Chapters, Indigo) and of course, there are individual books like The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Fox in Socks, Dr. Suess's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!, and so many others, even ones I had never heard of like Dr. Seuess's Winter Things (starting Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Cat in the Hat!).
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - This book is a classic and it is so cute. I honestly remember loving it as a kid, I remember growing up with it and seeing generations of kids in my school just love it. It is a very cute book and interactive too I think it was the first time I saw a "strange" book like this and it captivated my young mind.
Disney Classic Little Golden Books - Every child in the 90s had these books, they have a signature gold spine and they were nice short books. Disney has all kinds of these books both old and new, you can find Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and so much more. They really are built to last and they will be your child favourite. I know I sound like a broken record but if they love the movies they will like the books. And it isn't just the princess stories either they have Mickey Mouse books (Disney Junior) too.
Construction and Cars - Again this is a theme, but if your little one is interested in construction machines and cars they will love reading about them. And there is quite a collection of stories out there involving call kinds of vehicles. Thomas the Tank Engine is a series of books, Theodore the Tugboat is a series of books. And of course, they have other stand-alone books about construction like: Construction Site on Christmas Night by Sherri Duskey Rinker, Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night by Brianna Caplan Sayres, The Truck Book by Harry McNaught, and for little Fire Fighters - Big Frank's Fire Truck.
Little Critter Books - This set of books was created by Mercer MayerThese books are so cute and they follow the same "Critter" there are so many stories that are just so fun and so relatable to children I think. and the series is still growing to this day. Some of my favourites are: All By Myself, Just Go To Bed, and I Was So Mad. It really is a great way to look at growing up and show children they are not alone.
Winnie the Pooh Collection - I don't think I have to say much about this one. The "Silly Old Bear" has been in our hearts for generations and he is not going anywhere. There are so many books now that follow Pooh and his friends.
Christmas Themed Stories - This may be a cop-out but Christmas books are unlike any other type of book. They are so fun and festive and they really can grab a child attention and pull them in. Some of my favourites are The Biggest, Most Beautiful Christmas Tree by Amye Rosenberg, The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever by Steven Kroll, and Chip and Dale's Christmas. But they have something to appeal to everyone obviously. Some that I thought children would like are the "Farting ones". Humour Heals Us has a series of "Farting Animal" books including Fritz the Farting Reindeer. J. K. Rowling (author of Harry Potter) also has a Christmas book out for children called The Christmas Pig, which looks very interesting. And most book stores have a long list of Christmas Theme books. Here are some suggestions from Chapters / Indigo: How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss, Home Alone and Home Alone 2 by John Hughes, Elf by Kim Smith, 5 More Sleeps Til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, Frosty the Snowman, A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Rick Bunsen, and the That's Not My Series.