Books are Friends

19 November 2011 -The children who came, slept, and conquered at the colourful Children’s Section of the National Library are unlike other children in Singapore. These kids are not afraid of the dark, or suspicious of any fire-breathing dragons lurking between the shelves. With Dads around, what harm could possibly befall them in the silence of the night?

So the Sleepover@Library 2011 on 19 November for dads and kids was a success with bursts of laughter, and not a drop of tear. At least, not among the children…

It was the fathers and mothers, rather, who were a little concerned. As popular writer Neil Humphreys confessed, “I was terrified! Although I’m involved in my daughter’s life, she is very attached to her mum who cares for her full-time. I’d thought, the whole night here, she’ll be crying for “Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!” Instead, she cried for books, books, books!”

Thankfully, there were plenty, and they were flying off the shelves relentlessly.

Guest of Honour Mr Liew Choon Boon (L) gives a token away to Mr Philip Koh.	Mr Kiang Siang Lok keeping the participants in rapt attention.

The true purpose of the event - to provide an opportunity for meaningful relationship building.	It's ok if you're not being informed - as long as you're being entertained!

Dads are Brave

The event started with a salute from Mr Liew Choon Boon, Senior Director of Industry and the Arts, Ministry of Information, Communications and Arts (MICA), as he commended the 63 groups of fathers and children for their bravery and sacrifice – in doing this without their wives, and leaving their computers at home.

Thereafter, three top storytellers captured the audience’s attention, igniting their imagination. Mr Philip Koh, Consultant of Early Childhood Education, SEED Institute; Mr Kiang Siang Lok, Friend of the Library and a member of the Share-A-Story Club: and Mr Vincent Lim, Regional Financial Officer of Motorola and a Friend of the Library, are all Father Reading Ambassadors. They are familiar faces in the storytelling scene, father figures who encourage other dads and children to love reading.

They demonstrated how fathers can make stories come alive for their children, inspiring them to try the same at home. They encouraged fathers to read to their children to build closer ties, and there is a reason for their advice.

Read from the Start

Mrs Kiang who is the Director of Reading Initiatives with the National Library Board said that she has often observed mothers actively encouraging their kids to read. But from her experience, dads can make an impact by being storytellers themselves. When her child was just an infant, her husband actively read to him. Now that he is a young adult, she sees the positive results.

“When our son was newborn, my husband kept a book of nursery rhymes by the cot. That way, he could easily read to him when he woke up. Books are toys to children! Our son is 26 now, and I see that he reads well. And he knows when to go to Mum, and when to go to Dad. When he has serious things to discuss, he’ll talk to his father,” said Mrs Kiang.

Siva Ranjan, a school teacher who participated with sons Kavi, 8, Sanjana, 7, and daughter Sanjula, 4, could not agree more. He shared, “A lot of parents don’t realise that this is early investment in their children’s lives.” Siva must have made many deposits to grow this investment portfolio. It is evident that all three of his children love to read, and to spend time with Dad.

Director of Reading Initiatives, Mrs Kiang-Koh Lai Lin (R), gives away a token of appreciation.	Guest of Honour Mr Liew Choon Boon savours a quiet moment with his son.

Neil Humphreys lulling his daughter to sleep with a bedtime story.	Survivors of the overnight stay - three cheers for all the dads and children! Thanks to all the wonderful staff and helpers from NLB too.

Raise-A-Reader Workshop

To guide fathers along, Associate Librarian Verena Lau conducted a Raise-A-Reader Workshop for the dads while the kids trooped off for some art and craft. She shared that reading is fundamental towards mastery of all other subjects in school, and that a child’s first five years is the prime time to raise them to be readers. She shares the following tips:

• Instead of teaching your children to read, grow in them a positive attitude towards reading

• Be genuinely enthusiastic about the story that you are reading to them

• Introduce to them the right books at the right time for the right level

She introduced Chalk by Bill Thompson, a wordless book which “allows parents to be creative in telling the story, grandparents who are illiterate to narrate it easily, and younger children to just enjoy the big drawings.”

I-CAN Concept for Dads

The next day, the dads got to reflect on how they felt about the sleepover. In a discussion facilitated by Mr Danny Teo from Centre for Fathering, they spoke about their apprehension about spending the night with their children without their wives, how they managed, and if they could replicate the bonding experience at home.

Mr Teo shared the I-CAN concept for Dads:

I – Involvement: getting involved in kids’ play, and getting kids involved in adults’ work

C – Consistency: staying calm and managing situations

A – Awareness: knowledge of the child and the family dynamics

N – Nurturance: how fathers are good at this in ways different from mums

When the discussion ended, the children joined their dads to present handmade cards. And, the little ones were delighted to receive goodie bags of their own when it was time to return home.

Editor's Note: Sleepover with Dads @ National Library was the marquee event for pre-schools signed up with the Fathers@Schools programme. Several other small-scale activities have also been conducted for fathers and their children from registered pre-schools.

More photos: Sleepover with Dads @ National Library

About the Author: The Dads for Life Resource Team comprises local content writers and experts, including psychologists, counsellors, educators and social service professionals, dedicated to developing useful resources for dads.