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 […]
Activities
Munsch contest for Canadians
Here’s a very exciting contest for Canadian kids. I’ll start with the best part – the winner gets a home visit from Robert Munsch! How exciting is that? (Extremely.) To enter, simply write a short story with your family and submit it here. If you win (and we’re gonna repeat […]
Great book: Dumb Bunnies
Dumb Bunnies beats Capt. Underpants. Ever get so excited about a book you just have to tell someone?Hayley did – and I’m so glad. She e-mailed me about the Dumb Bunnies series, which she is enjoying with her whole family (ages 3, 7, 9, 39 and 39). If the illustrations […]
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 […]
Creating comics online
I made this comic myself – and it was fun. Imagine how much your child will enjoy creating their own story lines.And afterwards, they can print them out and put them in a binder, or e-mail them to their friends. Making comics not only ensures that your child will be […]
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 […]
Kids’ writing contest (note: Americans only)
Here’s a little gift for our friends to the south. Unfortunately, only Americans can enter this contest. (I’ve got an e-mail in to one of the contest judges to ask why-oh-why they’ve limited it. But I digress.) It’s such a great-looking contest, that I want to point it out to […]
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, […]
