Joy of Reading bring the to life DURING THE HOLIDAYS

With the hustle and bustle of the festive season, reading is a great way to relax while learning and boosting literacy skills. Award-winning Canadian children's author Andrea Lynn Beck believes the holidays are a wonderful time to foster a love of reading in your family. Here are eight ways to make reading a warm and happy part of your traditions. (NC) 1. When preparing holiday meals, encourage kids to take part in the activity by reading the recipe out loud or reading a story about the meal. 2. Give kids the opportunity to read about seasonal traditions or encourage them to create their own story about their favourite ritual. 3. Ask family and friends to pair any toys they are giving with a book on the same theme. This will help bring the toy to life for little ones. 4. Host a book swap where parents and kids exchange their favourite holiday-themed books. 5. Host a book reading with family and friends and give kids the opportunity to read a book or part of a story themselves. 6. Turn any festive story into a play and have the whole family participate, whether at home or as part of a holiday get-together. 7. This season is filled with festive images. For kids, create a holiday-themed scavenger hunt where they match what they see with images from picture books. 8. Many famous stories have been brought to the big screen. Before watching a movie, read the book together as a family and see who can spot the differences.