Latest / 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids. / How to Incorporate Fun Themes into Your Child's Reading Routine w/ author Lynsey Martin

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How to Incorporate Fun Themes into Your Child's Reading Routine w/ author Lynsey Martin · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to another episode of the Five Minute Parenting Podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Karen Ferguson, wife, mom, grandmom, and children's book author with a background in K-8 education and a passion for equipping parents to raise confident and God-confident kids.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: In this podcast, we'll cover parenting practices for both a practical view and a biblical view.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: Our goal is to help you raise kids with a positive, godly self-image so they can become all they were created to be.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: I know you're busy, so we'll keep it short.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Let's take just five minutes and dive in.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to Five Minute Parenting.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Karen, your show host, and today we're talking about making reading more fun for kids with children's author Lindsay Martin.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: Lindsay is a wife, Christian mom of two boys, and dog Ellie, a graduate of Santa Clara University, and the author of How to Get an Alligator Out of the Bathtub.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: Originally from Southern California, Lindsay lives with her husband and children in Austin, Texas.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: The inspiration behind her children's book was a trip to the zoo with her boys and their comments of wanting to have the alligators come home to live with them.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so the character in her debut book, Alistair, was born.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: Today she's on the show to give tips for incorporating fun themes into your child's reading routine.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: Lindsay, welcome to the show.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Karen.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for having me this morning.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's my pleasure.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we connected through Ashley Wall, the co-founder of Mama Bear Books, who published your debut children's books.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: And congratulations on that.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: That is uh that is an accomplishment, publishing a book.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's exciting.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: And you said it came out in May, is that right?
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: May 6th, that was publication day.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I, yes, I can't believe it.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Exciting time.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad we connected.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm excited to hear your tips for making reading time more fun for our kiddos.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: We don't want them to think it's boring, right?
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Especially with all of the things drawing their attention nowadays.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like anything to make reading fun is very important.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: I agree.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I have some questions here, and I'll just start with the basics.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: Why is it important to make reading time fun and immersive for young children?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, reading time should be something that kids look forward to.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: And as I said today, with all the different types of technology and tech-based toys that kids can be drawn to, I think making reading fun and enticing is something very important.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: When it's fun and engaging, it builds positive associations with books, and that love then sticks with them for the rest of their lives.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: So for young children, especially, play is something I think that is the most important thing of how young children especially learn.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: I worked for a short time in a play-based preschool, and both my boys actually attended this school.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I've seen firsthand the effects that play-based learning has on young children.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: So when you bring stories to life in silly and creative ways, you're not just entertaining them, you're helping them grow their language and imagination and emotional connections to those stories.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why I think especially just reinforcing that for them is very important for not just for their young lives now, but for the future as well.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's good.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: Well, can you share some simple ways parents can transform just the regular story time into more of a what you call a themed, memorable experience?
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, absolutely.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so a couple ways we I personally love, and then just some other ideas.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: One of our favorites is camp out story time in our house.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: You can build a pillow fort, or one of my boys has a little like pop-up tent, and we'll just pop that up in our living room.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: You can grab flashlights and pretend you're camping and then get cozy with blankets and do reading time there.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh then instantly it just makes it sort of a different experience, I feel like, sort of like an adventure.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it just it's it's amazing how something as simple as just, you know, even putting blankets over pillows can make kids so excited because it not only gets them engaged and wanting to help, but then as they're sitting there closing up, they they love being able to read the books in sort of a different environment.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I could imagine it creates a warm, positive experience that sticks with them.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: Well, do you have any specific reading routines or traditions?
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: I know you mentioned that one, but are there other things you do with your own children?
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I would say just number one, and this is very simple, but um, I do work full-time as well.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I know time is very precious.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: However, one thing I've always I loved as a child, and my parents did it every night reading before bedtime.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't take long.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: I let each of my boys pick a book and we do snuggle time, and they each get their book before bed.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: And that's just something that's very simple that I really try to keep every single night.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, there's some nights, you know, you have sports or all sorts of things that get in the way, but I really try to make that a consistent, uh consistent event.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing that's sort of more, I would say, like a special tradition, and it happens really only in summer when things are a little slower, we don't have to run out the door for school, but we do we love to sit on either a blanket in the yard or just on our patio.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: And my boys call it listening to the birds, but we also will read stories, and my youngest one will say he's reading to the birds.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we love doing that, just sitting outside.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's such a peaceful way to really slow down and connect, especially in the mornings before you start your day.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone gets going.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: And just being outside helps my boys especially to sort of settle and it turns reading into something that's fun and exciting.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: And they they love to do it.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: They love to tell me I didn't actually think my youngest would remember this summer, but he goes, It's time for the birds.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, and so it's something that is really sweet and that I love.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Reading to the birds, I love that.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: It reminds me at our library, our local library, they had a reading to the dogs story time.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, kids could come in and they had a a guide dog, I guess, there, a golden retriever, beautiful dogs.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: We have a golden retriever ourselves, and it was just really sweet to see the kids do that.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's something to that, right?
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: Them kind of getting more confidence as they read to the birds or read to the dogs.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: Well exactly.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: What about props or cozy touches that parents can add?
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, what do you suggest for helping to bring a story to life?
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, you don't have to, I know sometimes there's so many things where you're being pitched to have to go buy all these things and to make and experience something bigger and better.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: But it's as simple as I know most parents, every child has, at least I know mine, like all these loves that they've collected or stuffed animals, they call them loves, uh, stuffed animals that uh they've collected over the years.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: So you grab a few of the stuffed animals.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: They're a great go-to.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: If the story has an animal character, even better, like Alistair.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: We have quite a few alligators in our house now that we've collected.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um and grab that stuffy and just have them listen to you as you're reading.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: I know this was one thing for my oldest when he was learning to read.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: As you mentioned earlier, just gaining that confidence that really helps them become more comfortable with sort of grasping consistency and that reading over and over.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Another easy one are puppets.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: We love doing little um puppet shows in our house.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: So having the puppet tell your little one the story, even the little finger puppets, those are great.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: And just a really easy addition to not just enhance the story, but make it a little more fun.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Costumes are always wonderful.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: Pull out those Halloween costumes.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: I know we all have buckets of them from over the years.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Doesn't matter if it doesn't go with the story, just having uh the ability for your child to be able to dress up and make it something different.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: You can even just use a towel for a cape or a silly hat.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, anything like that is a wonderful way to be able to sort of bring that story to life for your kids and make it a new experience.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: These are great ideas.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I had the pleasure of reading your debut children's book.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, can you give an example of how families could create a themed reading experience using your book, How to Get an Alligator Out of the Bathtub?
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite ideas, I love, I love making bathtime special because I had some difficulties with my youngest.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: He didn't love the bath.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I was always looking for a way to sort of make it fun and engaging.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so to be able to do a bathtime, uh bathtime story time, you can run a bubble bath, toss some rubber ducks or their favorite toys.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: I even have now collected all these little um rubber alligators that go in the tub.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: And you can read the uh read the book, How to Get an Alligator Out of the Bathtub to your kiddos while they're soaking up those bubbles and giggling and just make it sort of a fun and adventurous experience in the tub.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then afterwards, one of our my kids are very into smoothies.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: One way we love to sort of add a little touch of green to our day is we've started calling our smoothies swamp juice.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't sound great, but my boys love watermelon banana apple smoothies.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: And then I add a touch of spinach into it just to make it green and to sneak some veggies in for them.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but they get to cozy out, have a little smoothie after with their swamp juice.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: So that is great.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: We've loved on our house.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: I have a grandson.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna have to tell my daughter about that.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: Swamp juice.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: That is great.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: Swamp juice.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: The watermelon juice makes the biggest change, I have to say.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, nice.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Lindsay, where can families find more inspiration or resources online to you know add these fun themes into their child's reading routines?
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: Do you have ones that you suggest?
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, there's I I know it's kind of overwhelming sometimes, but they're social media and uh social media and Pinterest have both been my two go-to's for finding any sort of creative ideas for um tips or creative parenting ideas from other parents, educators, sharing fun themes that you can incorporate into your day.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you can also follow me at Lindsay Martin Author on Instagram or Lindsay Martin on Facebook, and I'll also be sharing more uh tips like these, and you can follow along there.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I was gonna say, yeah, where can we find your books and learn more about you online?
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so we will have links to your website and to your book online for listeners to uh check out.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I like that.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: So Pinterest is a good resource for that as well.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: Is there a certain hashtag or something that you normally include?
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the best one I love is especially if your children are young, um, activities for young children.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: I also do ones where you can do like hashtag um crafts at home using things you may already have at your house.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: So you don't have to go out and go shopping or buy a bunch of things.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of times you can use things you have at home to make make an event special for your child and to make the experience a little more uh fun and entertaining.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: Wonderful.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: Well, these are fantastic ideas, Lindsay.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much uh for sharing.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a pleasure having you here.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: And listeners, thank you for joining us.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: Be sure to check the show notes for links to Lindsay's website and check out her book, How to Get an Alligator Out of the Bathtub.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: And then come back next week for another episode of Five Minute Parenting.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: Have a blessed week.