I can tell when my son is reading – and I leave him to it. There’s a certain hush that falls over the house, over his room. A certain intermittent squeak to his armchair. A kind of quiet that I can’t explain, but which I know means that he’s upstairs […]
Research
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 […]
Reading the paper on the floor
Life imitates blog.Having recently reminded myself what boys like (in terms of their reading material), I’ve been on the lookout for something to encourage my son to read during these busy summer days. This afternoon, I found it. The Toronto Star newspaper ran a great story on what Toronto was […]
Summer reading tips
How’s your summer going? Have the kids been reading? It’s mid-summer; now’s the time to encourage them to pick up a book. You know the research – kids who don’t read during the summer experience a big slip when they get back to school in September. Let’s make sure that […]
Getting boys reading
I know what boys like.* I’ve been following the website and tweets of a librarian whose speciality is helping boys become great readers. He’s definitely an expert in what appeals to boys. Here, I’ve distilled (*cough* ripped off) some of his best ideas about how to make reading fun for […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Reading gets easier
As kids learn to read it becomes, quite literally, easier for them. Younger children exert more effort and have to activate more of their brain. As children get older, and read better, they can use less effort, and less of their brain’s real estate, to understand what they’re reading. To […]
Time for a little Spring cleaning
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 […]
