The Magic of Reading: Fun Ways Kids Grow Through Books!

Learning Focus: Vocabulary development, listening comprehension, critical thinking, reasoning skills, perspective-taking, and SEL through storytelling and imaginative thinking.

Join us as we explore the wonderful world of reading and imagination for kids.

In this episode you’ll listen to: 

🪄💭 Storytime Magic where we share an original story about Laila, The Girl Who Loved to Read, a girl whose imagination and magical powers lead to surprising lessons about learning and kindness. 

🧠✨ Fun Facts about reading and how books help kids grow their vocabulary, imagination, empathy, and understanding of others.

🌟 Magic Thinking Moment, where we pause the story to ask curious questions about choices, feelings, and perspective. Kids can think along with us and imagine what they would do in the story.

💛✨Magical Actions where we have a fun activity that encourages children to spot and read words all around them, from signs and labels to everyday objects.

🧚‍♂️ Parenting Pixie Dust where we share simple research-based tips to help nurture a love of reading at home.

This cozy episode is perfect for curious kids and their families, celebrating storytelling, creativity, social-emotional learning, and the magic of reading together.

If you like listening to our podcast, you can find us on Instagram and YouTube @momandimakemagic for more educational content, behind-the-scenes moments, magical creations, and fun updates! 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:05

Do you hear that? It sure is pouring heavily outside today. We have plans to go to the library, but looks like we might have to change our plans. What are some fun activities we can do indoors instead?

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Well you could maybe do painting, read a book, play with you all and read.

SPEAKER_03 0:27

Those all sound like wonderful ideas. Reading is one of my favorites because books can take us on adventures even on rainy days. And that reminds me, what if we create a story together? So today's story is about a girl who loved reading very, very much.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

It's called Lella the Girl Who Loved to Read. So one day, um Lella had like school and today it will she loved the library. And she was in a new grade, and today was the first ever day of library. And it was in the morning. She was so excited. She was just bursting with exciting. She told her mom, Mom, tom tomorrow will not be a normal day. It's library, and I love library. And her mom said, Yes, I know you do. And my library teacher says I can bring three books home. And she has every single book of my favorite series of books, which was called um Supergirl Super Turtle. And she loved that book so much. Mom was like, Great! And there's also a fun event happening at the library too. We're gonna drive around robots, and she said I it's fun to do that. So then when she got to school, she was so excited. She first went to the library. First, they were getting books. She read her book for 10 minutes, then she drove around the robots with her team, and she was the leader for her team. She loved that. Next, it was time to go back to class. When she got home, she loved the books. She read them so much. Then she started making cracks of her of the storybook she read. Then a little bit time later, one week later, she got a great light bulb in her head. She said, What if I didn't act like a story? For entire life, she said. Everywhere that she said. I'll fly a turtle. We gotta put cats. It will be fun! Well that sounds like a great idea, her mom said. Great, then let's get started with it. She said, I'm gonna go to the animal shelter. Alone! Her mom said, Oh my, you can't do that. She had already rushed out the door.

SPEAKER_03 3:46

And she ran all the way to the animal shelter. She was so excited about her new powers that she thought she could just help everyone. Before anyone could stop her, she said, I don't care.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

I will save the world. Then she took her pet cat, her pet turtle, and then she said, With my power, I will show everybody how I can do this. First, I'll give Kat a pink ball. Everybody loves color. The color pink is so pretty. There'll be a lot when I give all the pink decorations around. But what she did thought she was causing a problem. There was a parade actually happening the last day, and people there weren't able to perform with all those pink decorations since it was no pink. They said, oh my, what are we gonna do? And they had no idea what to do. No idea. I repeat, no idea at all what to do. So then she said, I will make this parade better with pink. And she saw the parade people, so she covered it up all pink. And they said, Oh no! What are we gonna do? This pink is unwashable. She realized that why do I have all these powers? So she realized the book was magical. She was happy. But the people of the parade were not happy.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

When Lela finally got home, she told her mom everything that had happened. Her mom looked very worried. Lela, what are you doing? She said gently but firmly. This book is making you forget the important things. You missed a whole week of school and your grades are going down. Your learning is falling behind. Then her mom added, I think that magical book has made you believe that you have all these superpowers.

SPEAKER_01 6:13

So she was just like, the book gave me the power. I have the power now. I know in the next series there's gonna be lots of learning, and I know I'm gonna lose all my grades, but I don't care. I just really want to be like this, like this book, she said, and it's gonna be the best thing ever.

SPEAKER_03 6:40

Her mom said, I'm not so sorry at all. It was the next day, and Lela had to do some school work. At first, it all seemed very easy.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

She had to do a few equations. But the equations were so easy, they were like so so easy. The reading was so easy, the math, the science, everything was so easy until one day she was like, I cannot solve this math equation. What do I do? I keep getting it wrong. Oh no. She looked all around her. She saw. Why? Nobody's happy with any of this superhero work, she said. She realized that she was not doing anything. She was just making everything worse. When she got home, all her powers had faded. Everything. She went back to school. All her friends had moved on to the next grade level, but she had to stay at the grade level. And she forgot so much stuff that she had to go all the way back.

SPEAKER_03 7:55

She realized she had missed a lot of learning while she was busy pretending to be a superhero.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

She was so sad. She said, Why did I listen to my mom? And this book. I'm still gonna read, I'm gonna write, I'm gonna be the best at this. And everybody was like, Why is there this old child here? And she did not like that. But she knew she would be better and she would be really good.

SPEAKER_03 8:24

So Lela made a promise to herself. I'm still going to read, she said. I'm going to learn and write and try my best. And every day she kept reading because even without magic powers, books were still the greatest adventure of all. The end Today's story was actually imagined by my daughter, and together we turned it into a magical adventure. Let's think about the story. Why do you think Lela loved the library so much? Was it because she loved reading? Or because books helped her imagine amazing adventures? When Lela got the magical powers from the book, did everything get better right away? Hmm, not really, right? Sometimes imagination is wonderful, but we also need learning, patience, and practice to grow. If you were Lela, what would you do after realizing your powers were causing problems? Would you a keep using the powers? b go back to learning and reading? Or C find a way to use your imagination in a kinder way? Here is another magical question for you. What kind of story would you create if you could make up your own adventure? Would it have superheroes, animals, dragons, or maybe a magical library, or maybe just ordinary people. So Lela discovered something very important. Books can fill our minds with imagination and wonder. But the real magic of reading is that it helps us learn, grow, and become stronger thinkers every day. And this is exactly what we are talking about today. So keep reading, keep imagining, and keep making your own stories. When we read stories, our brains get to imagine everything: the characters, the places, the voices, the adventures. It's like your brain becomes a movie director. And books help us learn new words. They make us understand how other people feel and discover amazing ideas. And today we are talking about something very special. Not just books, but today we are discovering the magic of reading. You know, one of my favorite places to explore is the library. Remember how many fun books we found last time? Yes, of course. It was so much fun. And some of those books have gone on to become your favorite books. Books are pretty magical. Some books might look small and books might seem quiet. I mean they're not loud and full of music and different sounds, just like uh games on the phone or shows on the TV. But every book is like a tiny treasure chest. Inside those books are big imaginations, wonderful creativity, and a million adventures waiting just for us. Reading books can make your brain grow, your heart bigger, and help you understand your friends and family better as it helps you see others' perspective. Do you know what perspective is?

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Perspective is what the character in the story thinks or feels about anything. That is correct.

SPEAKER_03 12:55

Perspective is the way someone sees or thinks about something. Everyone might see things a little differently depending on where they are, how they feel, or what they know. It's like looking at the world through someone else's eyes. What you see might be different from what your friend sees, and that's okay. And the best part, you can share the magic with others, and it's really, really fun. It's so much fun to curl up with a book and read together. That's why I love children's literature. Literature is all the stories, books, and poems that people write to teach, entertain, or share ideas. All the big and colorful illustrations and the wonderful stories that teach you good messages, new skills, ideas, lessons, new words, and also bring laughter and smiles. Also, some books are just silly fun, and more importantly, these stories and books make our brains go bigger and better. Reading really is a fun way to learn all these things. Reading is like planting tiny seeds in your brain. From learning new words to discovering how other people see the world, each story helps you grow. And the magic happens even more when you read, not just at school, but at home too. Snuggled up with your grown-up or sharing stories with someone you love. Reading is real life magic. When you read, your brain lights up like a little twinkling city at night. Want to know some more magical fun facts? Reading helps your brain grow stronger, just like food helps your body grow. Reading helps you understand how other people feel. That's called empathy. Empathy is a big word for having a kind heart. The more stories you hear, the more stories your own brain can create. That's how imagination gets its wings. Now it's time for our magic thinking moment. Cool. Alright, so imagine a character in a story loses their favorite toy. How do you think they might feel? Sad. Yes. Now imagine another character finds the toy. What could they do with the toy?

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Well, they could find somebody to if they're let me give two examples. Nice and bad. I'm gonna start with nice. If they were a nice one, they would be like, oh my god, this person must be feeling really bad. Let me go find this person's toy. And uh I'll give it back to them. That's right. And then the children can then the children can become friends, right? Exactly. You're bad. Oh, okay. I found this toy, let me take it home.

SPEAKER_03 16:17

So I love that you told both the sides. You thought about what would be the nice thing to do and what would be the bad thing to do. Which one would you do? The nice one. Of course. What if the toy was very special to the child? Maybe it was a gift from someone they loved?

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

So if like what if that child, like the child, it was their only toy. I would it wasn't their only toy, but it was the most special toy they ever had. And they and they were crying, they lost it, they it was like, let's say like they had a big sister who was leaving property almost for her entire life, and like her little sister, she her big sister said, like, what if this girl had a big sister who said what if she might never come back? The toy was from her and her favorite toy ever, and she would remain sad. Even if her sister did come back, she would still be sad that she lost the toy.

SPEAKER_03 17:20

That is such thoughtful reasoning. You really thought about how the character might feel and why the toy was so special. Stories help us practice thinking about choices and feelings. When we read, we get to imagine what someone else might feel and what the kind thing to do might be. Now I want to ask our lovely listeners, what would you do if you found the toy? Would you return it or keep it? Stories help us grow our imagination, our kindness, and our understanding about people and the world. And that's one of the many ways reading helps our hearts and minds grow. Dear explorers, are you ready for the magical actions for today? So today I'm going to ask you to go on a magical reading mission. Are you excited? Do you want to know what that means? Okay. Did you know that reading magic isn't only inside books? Words are hiding all around us, waiting for curious readers like you to discover them. Today you have to become a word detective. Look for words everywhere you go. You might spot them on milk cartons, snack packages, or even your toy labels at home. When you go outside, try being a sign spotter. Can you read a stop sign or a store sign or a sign at the park? Every sign is like a tiny message waiting for a reader. And if you go to the grocery store, see if you can read the names of fruits, cereal boxes, or your favorite snacks. Every time you notice a word and try to read it, your reading magic grows stronger. So keep your eyes open, little readers. The world is full of words waiting for you to discover them. Have fun on your magical reading mission. And now a little parenting pixie dust, just for the grown-ups. Like I mentioned a little while ago, reading really is a fun way to learn new skills. Read stories to your child every day, even from when they're babies. Those first tiny moments with books plant the seeds for a lifelong love of reading. You don't have to be a perfect reader. You don't need special voices. You don't need long lessons. Just sitting very close, reading slowly, and letting your child turn the pages. That alone tells their heart that I am safe, I am loved, and I matter. And that feeling is the kind of magic children will carry forever. Trips to the library and story times can be little adventures your child looks forward to. Invite your preschooler to read to you. They can describe the pictures, tell the story in their own words, or make up entirely new adventures just by looking at the pictures. Keep a few books in the car. Waiting at appointments or long drives can become magical reading moments. Talk together about the characters in the stories, what they do, how they feel, and why. It helps children understand emotions and behaviors. Encourage your child to create their own stories. You can make simple books together about things you've done or adventures you imagine, just like we do during our storytime magic. Thank you so much for tuning in.

SPEAKER_02 21:20

Thank you so much for listening to another episode of Mom and I Make Magic. Until next time, keep wondering, keep exploring, keep being curious, and always stay magical. Bye! Bye!

SPEAKER_03 21:51

Thanks for tuning in, parents and caregivers. If you like listening to our podcast, you can find us on Instagram and YouTube at Mom and I make magic for more educational content, behind the scenes moments, fun updates, and our magical creations. Join us here next time!