It must be Spring.This week I found myself on the floor, in front of my son’s bookshelves, clearing out and arranging. The shelves were getting too squished, and they weren’t really… well, appealing. My theory is that books should be laid out like beautiful fruits, ripe for the picking. His […]
Crafts
Great website – reading and math
I love Soft Schools. A wonderful kindergarten teacher told me about it years ago, and I’ve used it ever since. At Soft Schools you can create fun puzzles, tailor-made for your child, and then print them out or let your child do them online. For instance, there are:Word ScramblesUse your […]
How to get mail
Getting mail is fun. Remember when you were little, and some mail came addressed to you? It was fantastic! And of course, when kids get mail… they read it. Here are some ways to help your child get some mail: *You get mail when you send mail. Help your child […]
Lunchbox surprise
Put a note in their lunchbox. I like to put a little note in with my son’s lunch. Notes are great for kids who aren’t that into reading because they’re short, they’re fun, and they’re from mom. I keep my notes to the point, and very upbeat. Something like: “Hope […]
Motivate with a reading reward chart
Kids love rewards. If you’re having a tough time getting your child to read, try a reading reward chart. Make a graph with a week’s worth of days. Your child puts a sticker on each day you read together. (Fifteen to 30 minutes is ideal.) Or, your chart can be […]
Great make: plasticine books
This great comment from Cathy was too good to leave in the comments section. Hi Joyce: You’ve got me thinking about what sorts of things encouraged my boys to enjoy reading when they were small. One idea that really worked and was a lot of fun: When my son was […]
Nancy’s Book of Poems
You may remember Nancy, from our Sept. 18 post. She’s the little girl who wasn’t terribly keen on reading. Her mom and I discussed getting her to write about something she’s interested in. Well, Nancy and her mom took the idea and ran with it! We’re pleased to present her […]
A book about Me
For a child, the most exciting thing to read about is – himself. One of the best ways to get a child excited about reading is to give him a book that he opens to discover it’s all about him. What could be better? And it’s really simple to do. […]