They won’t even realize they’re learning. If you’ve got a child who’s into computer games but you’d rather they read, here’s something that will make you an ultra-cool parent. It’s called Dungeon Scroll, and it’s simple and fun. In each “dungeon” you face an enemy. You defeat the enemies by […]
Games
A fun literacy activity – Acrostics
Do you know about acrostics? An acrostic uses the first letters of words in a sentence and forms a “hidden” word from them like this: “Read everywhere, all day!” spells “read.” Read Everywhere All Day For younger children You can send your child secret messages using acrostics. Teach your child […]
Sequencing game (online)
My friend’s daughter needs some practice with “sequencing.” Sequencing is important for reading, because it helps you understand what comes first, what comes next, and what’s last. That goes for words, sentences and stories. A game you can make One thing you can do to practice sequencing is to take […]
New Tag books
Tag has some new books for learning short and long vowel sounds. You know I love the whole LeapFrog system. My son learned so much from it when he was little. So when I received these book kits, I was excited.What I discovered, however, is that you have to:a) Find […]
Brain-training exercise
Brains – especially young brains – benefit from exercise. Here’s an exercise that Bernadette Tynen (the brain researcher) does with her students. She says that if you do it with your child once a week, it will help to make his thinking more flexible and creative. She gives the child […]
Reading extensions work
You may be wondering why I’ve been pushing the Disney movies. It’s because extending reading beyond books — into movies, soundtracks, games and toys — gets kids reading. Of course, it all has to start and end with the book. Which is where parents come in. You make sure the […]
Internet word game
Once again, I’m going to help you be a cool parent. You want your kid to read. Your kid wants to play computer games. Allow me to introduce: Blocks With Letters On and More Blocks with Letters On. The website promises, “64 levels of mind-numbing word action.” Mind-numbing – well, […]
Trampoline – for your brain
Want to create a smart reader? Get your child on a trampoline. According to brain researcher Bernadette Tynan, trampolines are so good for the brain, “even NASA astronauts use it to boost their brain power.” Trampolines improve your meta-cognative ability – your ability to “think about thinking.” That’s because on […]
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 […]
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 […]
