Each week DaddiLifeForce brings inspiration curated from the community, to help you create more quality dad moments quickly and easily. This week, we want to make your story time even more brilliant.
We’ve never met a dad who didn’t enjoy some element of story time, from when the kids are young, right through to when they get a little older. But there’s times where even those moments feel a little stale. Never fear, we’ve got some awesome dads who have some game changing tips.
Let’s turn the page.
Puppet shows, by ‘Australian Dad’
Australian Dad, aka Tam Rodwell uses puppets as part of the fun. He started it as a way to get more creative with story time and introducing a new family character into the action. You can give the puppets their own identity – name and voice! Brilliant stuff!
Price: Puppets shouldn’t cost more than £5 – £10.
Time needed: You’ll need a little time to introduce that little fluffy guy to the kids, and he can take up some extra time inbetween all the voice changes 😉
Age Range: From 1 years old upwards.
Fun factor: A simple yet brilliant way to get the kids into another dimension of story time.
Make a mistake, by David Cadji-Newby
David is one of the founders at the brilliant personalised book company Lost My Name, and has a great tip for dads looking to improve awareness and problem solving skills in their children.
“When you’re on the billionth read of a much-loved tale, get it wrong on purpose so that the child can correct you, thus empowering them and putting them in charge.”
That type of reverse thinking can work wonders.
Price: Literally free.
Time needed: You may need a little 5-10 minutes for the little ones to figure out what you did wrong, and then to correct it. They’ll love it though!
Age Range: From 2 years upwards or anytime they can start to express fuller sentences.
Fun factor: A simple yet brilliant way to get the kids thinking, engaging and challenging in the right way.
Let THEM teach, by the Suburban Dad
For those dads with more than one child, why not try some delegation! The Suburban Dad told us about how he lets his eldest do at least half of the bed time stories to her baby sister. Beyond just bringing out the story-teller in his eldest, it’s a great way to take a few minutes break!
Price: More like how much would YOU pay for a few extra minutes back.
Time needed: You will need to keep a watchful eye at first, but get this right and your eldest children will start sharing the routine often.
Age Range: You will need your eldest to not only be at decent reading level, but also have some level of care towards their younger siblings.
Fun factor: A simple way to get all the kids involved in story time.
Ready, Set, Read!
Tag #daddilifeforce into your special moves on Facebook and Instagram and we’ll share with all dads across the community.
Got a #daddilifeforce move of your own you think we should feature? Send it into us at [email protected] for our next roundups.
Keep those dad-moments strong. ?
4 comments
[…] where fathers are more readily and actively becoming a primary care giver. They are the feeder, the story teller, sleep negotiator and much more. Stay at home dads aren’t trying to be mums, and SAHDs […]
[…] play with kids in their care. Of course, we do lots of other nurturing stuff as well. I’m always encouraging Dads to read to their sons and […]
[…] Find a book that means something to him. Let him choose. Take turns in reading. This is precious time. Make sure your partner appreciates that and you’re not interrupted. You are the role model for your son, not some big muscle-bound footballer. Be the dad you always wanted to have yourself. Someone who isn’t afraid to pick up a book. […]
[…] partly why the FRED programme (Fathers Reading Every Day) is encouraging dads to get the reading habit. The organisation points out that reading together is a fun and easy way to bond with children, and […]