Every year since 2003 I have helped facilitate a push to encourage dads to read with their kids during the month of November. Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED) is a four-week program originally created at Texas A&M University that encourages fathers, grandfathers and other male role models to read to their children on a daily basis. In any given year our post-survey responses reveal that at least 75% of the dads who participate in the program believe it:

• Improved the quality of time spent with their child.
• Led to improvements in their child’s vocabulary.
• Increased their satisfaction level as a parent.
• Improved their relationship with their child.

I love this simple program, but I am not alone with these sentiments. Listen to what some of the dads who have participated in the program over the last several years have said:

“I liked that I was helping my son grow to appreciate reading and spending the quality time with him.”

“We have always read a great deal but never tracked it - that was fun for my son!”

“It helped us create a time that is just for us. Every night before bed, we read books.”

“Gave structure and quality to our free time together.”

“It’s given us a new ritual that enriches our lives as a family.”

“It has gotten us into the habit of reading each weeknight. My boy now expects me to read to him and it’s a great joy to do.’

“Gave us focused time together and got us reading more often.”

“It allowed us to slow down and schedule time together each night. We were able to plan our evenings better knowing that we needed to reserve time to read before bed.”

“Allowed us to begin a series of books that we had for many years talked about reading together, but never did. FRED got us started, and now I see us continuing for many years to come. Thanks for a great concept!”

"The FRED program helped my son and I bond even more.”

"It created an avenue for me to spend some quality time with my daughter."

"The discussions I had with them with reference to the reading matter greatly improved their comprehension of story plot and word vocabulary."

"Got my son excited about reading with me.”

"The thing I liked most about FRED was the excitement my child had and anticipation of the reading time.”

"FRED enabled me to sit and read to my granddaughter and spend more quality time with her.”

Our November FRED push has come and gone but you can still use the program materials to facilitate reading with you children. Follow this link for more information and this link for my brief interview of the program on 9 News in Denver.