The Most Precious Gift to Give our Children

Written by Lee-Anne Robert


As a proud mother of a two-year old daughter and an eleven month old son, I already see them growing too quickly before my eyes. It makes me wonder if I am beingrepparttar best parent that I can be and if I will have regrets after they have grown up of what I did and didn’t do as a parent. And I ask myself, “What is simplyrepparttar 111132 best gift to give my children?”

Could it berepparttar 111133 new trend in toys or clothes? Could it berepparttar 111134 candy orrepparttar 111135 chocolate bar that will make them delighted and happy? Is this what children really want or need?

In a rush, rush world and one where both parents must contribute to household expenses, parents are more apt to give their children material objects instead ofrepparttar 111136 single most important gift that all children want, need and crave. It’s no wonder that children are becoming so material orientated at such young ages. It’s no wonder that a child’s most used saying is “I want.”

And do we not sometimes treat our children as material objects? Just as a child plays with a toy for a few minutes and then tossesrepparttar 111137 toy torepparttar 111138 side, we as parents often treat our childrenrepparttar 111139 same way.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW WHY READING MATTERS

Written by Barbara Freedman-DeVito


HERE ARE SOME OF THE REASONS WHY READING IS SO IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN.

WHY DO WE TELL CHILDREN TO READ ?

We're always telling children that books and reading are good for them, but have we ever really thought about why that's true ? Exactly what do older children get out of reading novels ? What do younger kids get from being read to ? Does reading matter ?

The purpose of this article is to say that, yes, it's true, reading really is important, and that there are some solid reasons why that is so. Let's begin withrepparttar practical benefits and then move on torepparttar 111131 less tangible rewards of a life filled with reading.

BOOKS HELP CHILDREN DEVELOP VITAL LANGUAGE SKILLS.

Reading is an important skill that needs to be developed in children. Not only is it necessary for survival inrepparttar 111132 world of schools and (later on) universities, but in adult life as well. The ability to learn about new subjects and find helpful information on anything from health problems and consumer protection to more academic research into science orrepparttar 111133 arts depends onrepparttar 111134 ability to read.

Futurologists used to predictrepparttar 111135 death ofrepparttar 111136 printed word but, ironically, Internet has made reading more and more a part of people's daily lives. The paperless society is a myth. The computer's ability to process and analyze data means that endless variations on reports and other types of documents can be and are generated. Internet, itself an enormous new source of information and recreation, is based onrepparttar 111137 humble written word. To effectively utilizerepparttar 111138 web and judgerepparttar 111139 authenticity and value of what is found there, both reading and critical thinking skills are of prime importance.

The more children read,repparttar 111140 better they become at reading. It's as simple as that. The more enjoyablerepparttar 111141 things they read are,repparttar 111142 more they'll stick with them and developrepparttar 111143 reading skills that they'll need for full access to information in their adult lives. Reading should be viewed as a pleasurable activity - as a source of entertaining tales and useful and interesting factual information.

The more young children are read to,repparttar 111144 greater their interest in mastering reading. Reading out loud exposes children to proper grammar and phrasing. It enhancesrepparttar 111145 development of their spoken language skills, their ability to express themselves verbally. Reading, by way of books, magazines or websites, exposes kids to new vocabulary. Even when they don't understand every new word, they absorb something fromrepparttar 111146 context that may deepen their understanding of itrepparttar 111147 next timerepparttar 111148 word is encountered. When parents read aloud to children,repparttar 111149 children also hear correct pronunciation as they seerepparttar 111150 words onrepparttar 111151 page, even if they can't yet readrepparttar 111152 words on their own.

READING CAN OPEN UP NEW WORLDS AND ENRICH CHILDREN'S LIVES.

As mentioned above, reading opens doors - doors to factual information about any subject on earth, practical or theoretical. Givenrepparttar 111153 wealth of available resources such as Internet, libraries, schools and bookstores, if children can read well and if they see reading as a source of information, then forrepparttar 111154 rest of their lives they will have access to all ofrepparttar 111155 accumulated knowledge of mankind, access to all ofrepparttar 111156 great minds and ideas ofrepparttar 111157 past and present. It truly is magic !

Through books, children can also learn about people and places from other parts ofrepparttar 111158 world, improving their understanding of and concern for all of humanity. This, in turn, contributes towards our sense that we truly live in a "global village" and may help us bring about a more peaceful future for everyone. This can happen through nonfiction but, perhaps even more importantly, reading novels that are set in other places and time periods can give children a deeper understanding of others through identification with individual characters and their plights.

Through stories and novels children can vicariously try out new experiences and test new ideas, with no negative consequences in their real lives. They can meet characters who they'll enjoy returning to for comforting and satisfying visits when they reread a cherished book or discover a sequel. Books also give kidsrepparttar 111159 opportunity to flex their critical thinking skills in such areas as problem solving,repparttar 111160 concepts of cause and effect, conflict resolution, and acceptance of responsibility for one's actions. Mysteries allow children to follow clues to their logical conclusions and to try to outguessrepparttar 111161 author. Even for very young children, a simple story with a repetitive refrain or a simple mystery to solve gives a confidence boost. Children can predictrepparttar 111162 patterns and successfully solverepparttar 111163 riddles.

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