As a little girl, I loved to read. My parents encouraged my love of books by taking me to the library to select books I enjoyed and by allowing me to buy books with records that I could play and read along to. I remember sitting in my room for hours reading along to Casper the Friendly Ghost, Curious George and many fairytales. For me, books were an escape from boredom and allowed me to use my imagination.
When I had my own children, I assumed that they would love reading just as much as me. From the beginning I had books in the house, I read to them, I showed them pictures and did what all the parenting experts told me to do. They always enjoyed it when I read to them and they still do. What I wasn’t expecting was for them to protest doing their school home reading. From JK it was a battle to get them to do their home reading. They didn’t seem interested in the books that were coming home from school. It was a struggle. As someone who reads and writes, it was difficult for me to accept that my children were not going to enjoy the benefits of reading. I set out to find a way to encourage them to enjoy reading. Fortunately, their Dad and I are both readers and model reading to them on a regular basis.
My children are 7 and 9 and are now reading very regularly. Here are some tips to foster the love of reading in your children:
1. Start from birth! Cuddling and reading to baby is the beginning of early literacy but is also a time to bond and connect with your little one. There are great benefits to baby’s brain development as well. Reading to your baby will build vocabulary, stimulate imagination and improve communication skills. Plus, reading on a daily basis makes it part of baby’s routine and a great habit to build into their daily routine.
2. As your child grows, allow them to select books with topics that appeal to them. Whether it is comic books, cook books, or graphic novels, it is a way for them to practice their reading and use their imagination.
3. Use newspapers, blogs, and magazines. Reading doesn’t always have to come from a book. You can encourage them to read magazines that interest them, blogs or even the comic section of the newspaper.
4. Ask questions. Ask them questions about what they’ve read. Talk about alternate endings to a story.
5. Write stories as a family. One way to encourage their love of reading and writing is by doing a family story. Each family member takes turns writing the next sentence in the story. It makes for a lot of fun and laughs and creates a bonding opportunity for the family while practicing literacy in a fun way.
6. Don’t be pushy. Nagging or explaining why it is important to read is the equivalent of explaining why they need to take vitamins. Find ways to make reading fun and not a chore. Use themed books surrounding certain seasons. Visit the library regularly or make a visit to a book store and allow them to book their own book to purchase as a special treat.
I often enjoy looking at our library of books. We have books that I bought based on my love of stories but as my boys get older our library has expanded to comic books, Minecraft How-to’s, joke books, science books, Lego and Star Wars! Regardless of what they’re reading, there is nothing that makes me smile more than seeing them curled up on their bed reading a book!
Homework time can easily become stressful for many parents and children. Kidshealth.org has created a Top 10 Homework Tips article that offers simple ideas to keep homework time effective.
Kids are more successful in school when parents take an active interest in their homework — it shows kids that what they do is important.
Of course, helping with homework shouldn’t mean spending hours hunched over a desk. Parents can be supportive by demonstrating study and organization skills, explaining a tricky problem, or just encouraging kids to take a break. And who knows? Parents might even learn a thing or two!
Here are some tips to guide the way:
Know the teachers — and what they’re looking for. Attend school events, such as parent-teacher conferences, to meet your child’s teachers. Ask about their homework policies and how you should be involved.
Set up a homework-friendly area. Make sure kids have a well-lit place to complete homework. Keep supplies — paper, pencils, glue, scissors — within reach.
Schedule a regular study time. Some kids work best in the afternoon, following a snack and play period; others may prefer to wait until after dinner.
Help them make a plan. On heavy homework nights or when there’s an especially hefty assignment to tackle, encourage your child break up the work into manageable chunks. Create a work schedule for the night if necessary — and take time for a 15-minute break every hour, if possible.
Keep distractions to a minimum. This means no TV, loud music, or phone calls. (Occasionally, though, a phone call to a classmate about an assignment can be helpful.)
Helping parents help their kids succeed in school and lifeThis initiative is intended to educate Ontario parents on the importance of healthy brain development in the early years of a child’s life, from 0 to 4 and to share information on a range of infant mental health and parenting topics.
Goals are to:
raise awareness through information and outreach to parents
share knowledge and resources between TVOParents.com and Infant Mental Health Promotion
Videos – interviews and lectures with top experts in the fields of child development, brain development and mental health.
Articles and blogs – on a range of topics and parenting concerns about a child’s physical and mental health: special needs, child development, brain development, social skills and issues, learning and parent involvement.
Media outreach on TVOParents.com as well as through social media, Facebook and Twitter, to engage parents including distribution of IMHP’s weekly tips for parents
Each week TVOParents.com will share tips for parents authored by IMHP on a range of topics to promote positive mental health.
Infant Mental Health Promotion will be providing:
Content for parents on infant mental health topics, such as: transitions to childcare, brain development research, the impact of the environment and relationships on a young child’s mental health, and more…
Guest blogs by IMHP’s director, Chaya Kulkarni, as well as periodic interviews with Cheryl Jackson
Weekly brain tips for parents which will be posted on TVOParents’ social media channels.
In-depth milestones, the healthy social and emotional development of your child from 0 to 4, created by the Hospital for Sick Children
Media access to Infant Mental Health Rounds lecture series and IMHP events.
IMHP is looking forward to this unique opportunity to share knowledge with a wider community and parents through TVOParents.com . For more information and some highlighted TVO Parents resources visit the IMHP “Special Projects” page on this partnership.
The New Parachute Program: Transitioning to Parenthood
Are you a new mom or dad and needs someone to talk to that understands the challenges of a new parent? Come to The New Parachute Program every Wednesday afternoon 1:30-3:00 at St. Andrew’s Community Centre (across from Victoria Park)
Rights from the Start: Early Childhood Care and Education
Everywhere in the world, parents want the best for their children. We are all becoming more educated to the fact that early childhood education is so important to a child’s future.
Every child has the right to education, and these rights start from birth.
Every year, over 200 million children under the age of five in low- and middle-income countries will not attain their development potential due to poverty, nutritional deficiencies and inadequate care and learning opportunities. Most of these children live in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Due to this poor start in life, if they get the chance to go to school, they are likely to underachieve. Subsequently, they will perpetuate the cycle of poverty, with low income jobs as adults, likely to have children themselves at a very early age, and provide poor health care, nutrition and stimulation to another generation.
By ignoring the right to education, millions more children will be condemned to the same fate.
The Global Campaign for Education is calling on world leaders to keep their promises and ensure early childhood care and education for every child – right from the start.
Summer is a time to relax and have fun, but it’s also a time when children can experience learning loss. There are simple and free ways to help keep our children learning over the summer. Regular day to day activities are great for literacy and numeracy. Writing a grocery list or having your child read your grocery list when shopping helps with literacy. Baking and using fractions helps with math.
Here is a link to an article for more ideas on preventing summer learning loss
