The Best Christmas Read-Aloud Books
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Inside: The Best Christmas Read-Aloud Books
The Christmas season is an ideal opportunity to slow down and turn your family’s attention to what truly matters. Stories are the perfect way to share important lessons about character and how our choices impact others.
Simply gathering together once a day to read a wonderful picture book as a family is a gentle, lasting way to explore these concepts together.
But which books are worth your time? What will you emphasize when you read? And how do you know your children will understand the powerful lessons they hear?
The key is to choose great stories and discuss what you read.
Make it Memorable:
If you’re wanting to use books as a character building tool then here’s how to make the most impact with the stories you read this Christmas:
- Be Intentional. Choose rich stories that illustrate character traits you want to show your child.
- Be Consistent. You might not be able to read every day this season, but you can make a goal of several books a week. Choose a time of day that often works well for your holiday schedule, and aim for as often as possible.
- Discuss the Story. Have a simple, lighthearted discussion of a story’s message and what it illustrates about a character trait. Use open-ended questions to encourage your child to share their thoughts and ideas.
FREE Christmas Booklist!
Get this free resource that includes a categorized list of heartwarming holiday picture books that beautifully illustrate specific character traits you can emphasize and discuss as a family leading up to Christmas Day.
Click the link below to get your FREE Christmas Read-Aloud Guide.
Discuss the Story:
Once you read some of these wonderful Christmas stories, you’ll want to have meaningful conversations with your children about them. Discussion time is a key element to building character with books.
And it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to make an impact.
Simply ask one or two open-ended questions to get kids thinking about what they heard and make their own mental connections. This helps draw thoughts to the surface that otherwise remain abstract in their mind.
Create space and allow a little time for their ideas to become more concrete with some of the discussion topic suggestions below…
Character-building discussion questions you can ask for any book you read:
1. How did someone in the story show (compassion, generosity, gratitude, etc.)?
2. Who do you think changed the most in the story? Why?
3. What choice would you have made in the situation?
4. How do you think it would feel to be this character in the story?
Make this the year you begin this character-building Christmas tradition with your family!
Big List of Christmas Books:
Looking for more Christmas books, check out a few of our favorites! Be sure to bookmark this page – we’re always adding books.
Take it up a notch
Want to take your Christmas read-aloud time up a notch and add in a little bit of learning? We have a couple of guides that will unlock the Christmas magic and make your read-aloud time unforgettable. Both guides are filled with heart-warming activities plus a little learning.
Learn more about our our guide for The Family Under the Bridge
Learn more about our book guide for A Christmas Carol
