What is ‘Make Family Magic’?

Make Family Magic aims to help parents and carers raise their children. It aims to support parents and carers, especially in the first five years – which are both very, very important and very, very demanding.

Make Family Magic aims to support better family relationships and happier homes, as a way to support healthy, thriving children.

Make Family Magic puts a spotlight on how reading together can help parents with the tough job of raising children. It can help parents and children relax, have fun and feel more connected.

Children’s books (often called ‘picture books’, because they bring text and pictures together so powerfully) can turn hard, tiring days into happy, restful nights for everyone.

Picture books invite you and your child to explore other worlds together…but don’t be fooled! The secret of picture books is that they actually help you to explore and enjoy each other.

That is their magic.

Who created ‘Make Family Magic’?

My name is Renee I. and I am the creator of this website. This is my writing collection and I am thrilled to share it with you.

I am the mother of three young children and the partner of one amazing grown-up. I am also the sister, daughter, godmother and friend to many more.

I live in Naarm (Melbourne) but because I am a settler, my ancestors are from around the world. I have Italian, Sri Lankan and Indian cultures in my family heritage. I have lived nearly my whole life in this ancient place, Australia.

Make Family Magic brings together a ferocious love for family with my passion for books and reading. I am sharing this love with the aim of making parenting and family life more rewarding for others…and also to make it much more fun! Picture books are very good at creating fun.

That is also their magic.

What’s inside ‘Make Family Magic’?

All the articles here are for parents and carers. And anyone else who cares deeply about children.

The Parenting in Real Time blog tells stories from my own experience as a Mama. There are so many times that picture books have helped me and my children, and there are so many picture books that have shaped our family. In these short stories, I describe how their magic has changed my life.

The Best Books for Tricky Topics section points to the picture books that can help you answer hard questions. Children have a wide-eyed wonder about their world, but some of what they encounter may be hard to explain. From exploring poverty to gender diversity, and so much more, this section will help you accept the questions (instead of avoiding them). Thanks to picture books, you don’t have to have all the answers.

The Help is Here blog brings you interviews and advice from real people. There are librarians, teachers, children’s authors and more with great tips on how to build stronger connections with your kids. Plus, they share a little about their own stories.

The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section gets to the hard stuff about reading together. Because it’s not always easy. Even if you are convinced that reading together will help you and your family, it can still be difficult to enjoy. In this section, we respond to some of the most common challenges for parents and carers – like: what if English is not my first language? And: how can I get my toddler to sit still? And my favourite question: am I the only one finding this hard? (Spoiler: no, you are not. Like most things in parenting, you are not the first or only one going through it. What a relief!)

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