As our youngest asks, "Can we have The Reading now?", we realize that he really enjoys our family scripture reading. We also look forward to reading the scriptures with our children because it gives us a great opportunity to teach them the gospel and assist them in building their testimonies. There are several things which help us to create this atmosphere for learning and closeness.
One thing we attempt to do is set a casual atmosphere where our children feel our love for them. So we try to not push them beyond their attention span, expect them to hold perfectly still, automatically understand Old English, or grasp new concepts on their own. As we relax, our children ask more questions and everyone feels more at ease in sharing personal experiences. One question frequently asked by our youngest is, "What does that mean in other language?" The "other" language is words he knows. As our younger children draw, do a craft, or some other quiet activity, we use questions directed just to them to bring them into the discussion. We gradually increase their involvement as they mature. We begin with simple plot questions of "and then what did Ammon do?" and ease into questions which help them discover basic principles in the stories - such as courage and honesty. Another way we keep our reading time more relaxed and enjoyable is by following our scripture reading with reading from other good books. We are careful, though, to clearly distinguish the "real" scriptures from the "pretend" stories. This gives us more time together as a family, replaces most TV watching, encourages a love of good literature, and gives the children an extra incentive to remind us to have "The Reading", so we are more consistent.
