Being a “Book First” Family

One of the best decisions we made as young parents was to be a “book first” family, which simply means we read the book before we watch the movie. 

We discovered early on that this had a number of benefits, and I believe this standard has heavily shaped our now young adult children in some pretty profound ways.

Imagination 

 When kids read first, their own mind's eye pictures the scene and the characters, and the sky is the limit in regard to their own imagination. Developing their imagination muscles is challenging, but worth it as it will encourage their love of reading, writing and storytelling, as well as deepen their experience with the story. 

Attention and Delayed Gratification

 Reading builds 'attention stamina' a little at a time. Chapters become natural breaks for processing the characters and storyline. Movies move fast. It's all over in less than 2 hours, where a book might take them a week or longer to read. Each day they pick it up and immerse themselves back into this world and then set it down until next time. This is teaching them commitment and to finish a task when the gratification may not be instant. On a practical note- If you have ever been to a movie with an 8-year-old, you know exactly why reading the book first helps. They know the plot ahead of time and are able to keep up, so you can also enjoy the movie without the "what's happening" question every few minutes. 

Scary Scenes 

 Scary or sad scenes are easier to handle in print because kids can pause, ask questions, peek ahead or put it down until they feel ready. These scenes are also limited to what their own imagination comes up with and not the much more mature imagination of a Hollywood director. Some children are sensitive souls, and when movies show scenes more graphically than kids are ready for, it can cause nightmares and difficulty getting those images out of their minds later. When the book comes first, kids have time to process at their own pace and are prompted to look away when they know something is coming they don't want to see.

Conversations

 “Which ending did you like more?” “Who played the character the way you imagined?” "How did the director do in bringing this book to life?"

When kids read the book first, they are generally excited to see if the movie can live up to it. The book is almost always better, you hear most readers say. However, it is harder to convince someone who has seen the movie first to then read the book. Reading the book first can allow for deeper thought and conversations because the book has more time for the details that movies often have to cut out for time constraints. 

One of my children went to film school. He was the kid who always loved to read the book first and to compare the two extensively. I am not at all surprised he wanted to go into film because he always had great input on how the directors could have been more true to the book. There were some really poorly made favorites that motivated him to want to see it done more authentically.

Reward for Resistant Reader

The truth is, many of us have resistant readers, and being a “book first” family means you have a built-in, no questions asked motivation tool. A movie night out with the family, popcorn and candy never gets old, and if the ticket (pun intended) to that movie is the finished book, then let it work for you to help keep them motivated. These kids might need your help, and that’s okay. Reading together is never a failure. It’s bonding and connecting. No matter how old they are.

We love movies in our family, but we have never regretted being a "book first" family. Using this motto as a motivator not only helped keep our kids turning the pages but also gave us some wonderful family memories.