The Joy of Learning to Read
Reading opens worlds unseen in a child’s mind. I love to see the light in a child’s eyes when he realizes for the first time that c-a-t makes cat! This week I had the privilege to see my six year old daughter’s eyes twinkle with excitement as she learned to decode her first word. She’s a special girl, always reaching for what is just beyond her grasp. To see her determination to decode a couple of three letter words was an experience. I learned more than she did. I can literaly see the gears grinding in her head as she is entering this world of literacy. Halting tries...
Read MorePoetry and Tea
Children has a wonderful capacity to enjoy beauty. Not only beauty in nature, but also beauty in art, music and literature. They don’t need classic works of art dumbed down or cartoonized to appreciate it. Over the past few years, we’ve been having regular Poetry and Tea mornings to give our children the opportunity to interact with great minds of the past and present. I’ve seen an awareness of art and culture emerge in my children because of that. For a period of time, one of them wouldn’t go to sleep without Vivaldi’s Four Seasons playing in the...
Read MoreAges and Stages in Reading Aloud
When you read aloud to your child, you help him paint a vivid picture in his imagination. You hand him brushes and paint to use to create his own version of the story in his mind’s eye when you share a story book with him. I am convinced that reading quality books aloud is the single most educational activity that you can do with your child. You don’t have to wait until your child is preschool age before you start a regular reading aloud routine with him, in fact children as young as a few months old can already start to enjoy simple book reading activities. Here...
Read MoreExpanding Vocabulary with Picture Books
Don’t you just love to hear your child’s expanding vocabulary? Most children go through growth spurts in language development where they pick up new words quickly. They may mispronounce the words initially, often with hilarious results, but will eventually learn to pronounce it correctly. Picture books are one of the best ways to encourage vocabulary development in children from an early age, because it helps children to learn more advanced words by providing a context (the story) and visual aids (the illustrations). Using picture books for vocabulary enhancement...
Read MoreHow Stories Teach History
Do you remember your high school history textbooks? If you do at all, does your heart beat faster as you think of all the drama, suspense and intrigue that are represented by those pages? Not? That is because most history textbooks aim to provide a overview of a specific time period instead of focusing on what life was like for one particular person living during that time. Now, think about the movie ‘Braveheart’ or even ‘Titanic’. I bet you remember a lot more about Scotland or early nineteenth century England! Stories engage the imagination, transmit knowledge...
Read MoreMagical Bedtime Stories
What is it about a bedtime story that can transform a mundane evening into something magical? To read a bedtime story is an age old tradition that probably has its roots in oral story telling traditions of ancient civilizations. From the beginning of time, parents have used stories to teach, entertain and bond with their children. Stories root children in a specific culture and provide wings to experience other worlds in the safety of their bedrooms. Here are five reasons to keep on reading bedtime stories to your children: 1. It Creates A Shared Adventure Many parents and...
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