Welcome to the Make Reading Fun Blog August 26, 2006 06:07

Hi and welcome to the Make Reading Fun Blog! We're dedicated to helping parents stimulate a love of reading in their children through children's books, personalized books, educational books, and any other tools available.

With all of the visual media available today - television, movies, video games, etc -- it's becoming more and more of a challenge to get kids to sit down and actually read a book. But study after study shows that children who learn to read early in life do better in school, and go on to become more sucessful in their academic and personal lives as adults.

So come on in and take a look around. We plan to keep this blog active, and we welcome any comments you might have regarding the subjects of children's reading and children's literacy.

 
 

Do you know when to begin teaching your child to read? August 30, 2006 08:32

 
Do you know when to begin teaching your child to read?
August 30, 2006 08:32

Editor's Note - Here's a great article by Deanna Mascle about the value of teaching your children to read at an early age. Study after study have shown that in general, kids who learn basic reading skills at an early age do better in school, have higher self-esteem, and go on to become more successful in life. And with today's media-driven culture, it's becoming more of a challenge to get kids to sit down and actually read a book. But don't despair - as the Harry Potter book series has show, children will read if given material that interests them.

Quality children's books are an important tool in helping kids to read. Make sure you choose books that have good educational value, and are written around topics that your child will find interesting and exciting.

Do you know when to begin teaching your child to read?

By: Deanna Mascle

It is never too early to begin teaching your child to read, or at least laying the foundation for early literacy skills, and it can definitely be left too late!

If you are not sure then think about this. Statistically, more American children suffer long-term life-long harm from the process of learning to read than from parental abuse, accidents, and all other childhood diseases and disorders combined. In purely economic terms, reading related difficulties cost our nation more than the war on terrorism, crime, and drugs combined.

Click here to read the rest of this article

 
 

Reading To Learn: Turning Kids Into Lifelong Learners August 31, 2006 07:58

 
Reading To Learn: Turning Kids Into Lifelong Learners
August 31, 2006 07:58

Reading To Learn: Turning Kids Into Lifelong Learners
By Aldene Fredenburg

Along about third grade, children reach a level of reading competency which allows them to read independently for the purpose of gathering information and learning new skills. At this point, a whole world opens up to them. They are developing the tools to pursue interests of their own, and wise teachers and parents will take advantage of this phenomenon to build on their children's educational success.

Poetry and fiction are always favorites among children: case in point, the unprecedented success of the "Harry Potter" novels. But kids are thirsty for knowledge about people and places around the world, as well as history, science, math, and art. A varied collection of books and magazines in the classroom will keep exciting information at students' fingertips. A scheduled weekly trip to the school library, with lessons on how to find books and research specific topics, offers skills that children will use throughout their school career and beyond. Kid-friendly online search engines provide more opportunities for students to research their favorite interests.

Click here to read the rest of this article