This is what we’re up against. You know Kanye West, the rapper. (Don’t tell your kids if you don’t because he’s huge. Like HUGE. And amazing – as a rapper, that is. He’s also the one who blurted out that surprising and awesome statement in the middle of a Hurrican […]
Author: JHHCanada
Don’t tell your kid that reading is hard
Life imitates art – er, blog. My last post* cautioned parents not to tell kids that reading is hard because, “kids don’t know something is difficult until you tell them it is.” I was talking to Mary in the schoolyard today, and she told me a real-life story that illustrates […]
The Encyclopedia of Immaturity
This is a no-fail book for boys. I recommend The Encyclopedia of Immaturity extremely highly, even though I’ve never read it. In fact, it’s because I’ve never read it that I recommend it. Here’s why – the book tells you not to let your parents read it. And my son […]
One-Page Wonders
A fun, one-page book your child will want to read. Here is an awesome, one-page book you make. There are three simple steps: 1) Download the .pdf of instructions. 2) Download and print the .pdf of the book (colour). 3) Fold the book according to the instructions. OK, a fourth […]
The right time for reading
I don’t always feel like writing. Or reading, for that matter. Since it’s what I do for a living, I have more impetus than most people to actually write. After all, if I do write, I’ll earn some money. If I don’t write, I won’t. And yet, there are many […]
Writing in the park
Reading and writing aren’t necessarily indoor activities.Facing a blank page is daunting, even for professional writers. The next time your child has to write a story for school, start by taking them outside. Before you start, remind your child that a story has a beginning, a middle and an end. […]
A brilliant TV series
Make your child brilliant. One of the inspirations for this blog was a TVO series called Make your child brilliant, which I saw last year. It’s airing again on TVO starting on Sunday, May 24, at 8 p.m. It’s a documentary featuring a woman in the UK, Bernadette Tynan, who […]
Cool games on the Internet
Here are some funky literacy games even your child will agree are pretty cool. I stumbled across this site, and I love it. It’s easy to navigate, fast loading, has great graphics and the games are fun. And it’s by the BBC, so you know your kids will also learn […]
Explain the exclamation mark!
This activity will boost your child’s reading in five seconds. One of the most exciting things about reading is the exclamation mark. The other day, I was reading a book to a couple of kids in a kindergarten class. When I got to a sentence with an exclamation mark, I […]
Literacy activities that appeal to kids
Go with what your child enjoys. I strongly believe that the best way to get kids reading is to give ’em what they like. But maybe you think that their interests – their real interests, what they would spend most of their time doing if they were allowed free reign […]
