Holiday Reading with Kindle for Kids

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Amazon. All photos and opinions are my own.

Can you believe that the holidays are almost here? I must admit that I'm in disbelief that the kids will be finishing up school for the Winter Break at the end of this week. Of course, the kids are super excited about it. Two weeks off school with their favorite holiday right in the middle - what could be better than that?

This year we don't have any major travel plans for the Winter Break but we will be making the most of the time off with local day trips and adventures. We'll also be making sure to spend plenty of quiet time relaxing. Things can get pretty chaotic at this time of year and we've also been dealing with a few illnesses over the past few weeks, so some much deserved rest and relaxation is definitely on the cards. For everyone! 

When it comes to relaxing, there are few things that could be better than finding a cozy spot and getting comfortable with a good book. This is true for the kids as well as us adults. Ava, in particular, is an avid reader and spends a lot of her spare time curled up with a favorite book, whether it be in her bed, on the couch, in a blanket fort, or under a tree in a park on a nice day.

We Love the Library!

When I was a kid I was a big reader. I read a LOT. There was nothing I liked better than climbing up a nice big tree and settling in with a book for a few hours.

Visiting the local library was always something that I enjoyed as a kid. I grew up in a small country town, and our town library and the school library were one and the same.  Whether I was visiting the library with my Mum on a weekend or going with my class at school, the library was a place where I really felt at home.

I have so many happy memories of my time spent in the library as a kid. Rainy lunchtimes spent with school friends reading together or playing board games in the library. My brother and I borrowing the same Disney book over and over so we could trace over the pictures. My friends and I checking out the card in the back of embarrassing books to find out who had borrowed them!

The library was also a place where I felt so grown up. It felt like such a grown up thing to look through the library catalog cards to find a book. Or to look through the non-fiction books to find a new book about horses - I was a bit obsessed! I'll never forget how grown up I felt when I was given permission from the librarian to borrow books from the high school section even though I was still in primary school.

I'm pleased to say that all three of my kids have a love of books (even if two of them can't actually read yet!) and enjoy visiting our local library just as much as I did as a kid. Times may have changed and our local library may be a little more high tech than my childhood library, but that feeling of joy when finding a good book is still the same.

Talk. Read. Sing. ® with First 5 California

Today I'm working with First 5 California, a trusted free resource provided to parents and caregivers, to spread the word about the importance of talking, reading and singing to (and with) babies and young children.

Interacting with young children in these ways is so important. It helps them develop an understanding of their world, increases vocabulary and helps their developing communication skills - right from the very start. Did you know that 90% of the brain is formed by the age 5? Or that more than 80% of it is formed by the age 3? These early years are so important when it comes to learning. That may sound a little scary, but helping young children learn important skills can really be as simple as talking, reading and singing to (and with) them.

Reading with my kids is one of my favorite things. It's a great way to spend some quality time together and I love knowing that my kids are learning as we read. Now that Ava and Lola are both at school I have more time to spend one on one with Mathilde. We spend a lot of time both playing and reading, and often these two things go hand in hand.