If you aren’t able to find time to read to your child or offer him literacy activities—use the power of two—you and another parent. You know that kids who are read to every day are more likely to develop a love of reading. But that’s 15 minutes that tends to […]
5-min. ideas
Remarkable research on kids’ ability to self-instruct
Here’s why we say you should “scatter books around the house.”
I want you to watch this exciting speech by Sugata Mitra on TED.com that illustrates the extent to which kids can teach themselves.
Through his “Hole in the Wall” project he conducted a series of experiments in 1999.
Back to school 2010
By Julia Mohamed It’s nearly back-to-school time! Time to go from running wild and free to becoming a studious student once again. Here are a few ideas to help make the transition as smooth as possible: Goal Journal Have your kids contribute to a nightly journal. Begin now, with their […]
Write your kid a letter
Have you sent your kid a letter this summer? What a great thing to do! When you’re bored at work – instead of re-checking your e-mail for the tenth time, or surfing, do something that will help your kid… write her a letter. It takes, like, 10 minutes and it […]
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
“Surprise!” When my son went to bed last night, this is what he found on his pillow – a Coles bookstore bag, with a book-sized lump in it. You’re eight, you don’t feel like going to bed, you’re dragging your feet, prolonging the inevitable… and then you find a new […]
Family Literacy Day – Jan. 27
Today is Family Literacy Day. This is the day! It’s the day you and your kid: 1) Read together. 2) Talk about your favourite book. 3) Listen to a book on tape. 4) Write each other a letter, which you drop in the mail for each other. Surprise! 5) Vote […]
Thank-you cards
A great literacy activity. Your kids have probably just received a bunch of gifts, and I’m betting that at least some of the senders weren’t in the room when they were opened. So that means thank-you cards. They’re not optional. In our house if you don’t want to write a […]
Hallowe’en literacy
Some ideas for working literacy into your Hallowe’en festivities. * Spell Hallowe’en. Talk about why it has an apostrophe (All Hallow’s Evening). It’s also interesting to note that many people no longer use the apostrophe and that’s OK too. Kids are often surprised to learn that spelling evolves. * Sort […]
Reading the signs
The other day on the subway, I noticed some ads. PizzaPizza’s ad said, simply:XL craving? and Bell’s said:More 3G coverage.Facebook anywhere.So let’s say you’re a child who’s just learning to read.XL? These examples do two things:1) They illustrate just how difficult reading can be. And tricky!2) They’re a terrific learning […]
Get your six-year-old reading
A mom came up to me in the schoolyard this morning. She said she wanted some help getting her child reading. Her son is six years old and in grade one. He’s frustrated because he’s not picking up reading a bit faster – so he’s clearly motivated to read. I […]