As a parent, I’ve always believed that exposing children to art from a young age is one of the most enriching gifts we can give them. One of my favorite ways to do this is by taking my children to the Toronto Theater. There’s something truly magical about watching a story unfold live on stage - the lights, the music, the energy of the performers—it’s an experience that no screen can replicate.
We’ve started going to the theater and the movies with our kids more often, and I honestly didn’t expect it to become such a nice family tradition. At first, I thought they might get bored or start asking to leave halfway through. Quite the opposite! They get completely absorbed in the story, laugh at the funny parts, and then we spend the whole way home discussing our favorite scenes.
I also love seeing what kinds of stories catch their attention. Sometimes it’s a big adventure, sometimes a simple animated film, and sometimes they surprise me with an interest in something I’d never have chosen myself.
It’s not just about watching a movie or a show. It gives us something to experience together, and those little conversations afterward are often my favorite part.
Lately, I’ve been introducing my kids to some old-school movies, and it’s been surprisingly fun to see what catches their attention. We’ve been using Vintage Films, a streaming service focused on classic and vintage cinema, to discover movies from different eras. Recently, we were watch Metropolis (1927) together. I wasn’t sure how they’d react to a silent black-and-white film that’s nearly a century old, but they were fascinated by the futuristic city, the strange machines, and the whole atmosphere. It also led to some great conversations about how people imagined the future back then. Watching it together made me appreciate the movie in a completely different way. Sometimes the oldest films can still feel surprisingly fresh.
