Biographies are Wonderful Books for Children

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I truly like this statement: “Every hero has a story”.   Who are your children’s heroes?  Have them read about their heroes’ stories.  If they don’t really have any yet, introduce them to heroes.  Your children will learn about the lives of different famous persons, the obstacles that they had to overcome, and what made them heroes.  They may even aspire to become like them!

Are your children interested in wars or major battles?  Have them read about famous generals and important battles.  Are they interested in famous writers?  Help them research about different authors and read their biographies.  Are they interested in sports figures?

There are many books about famous athletes.  Are they interested in the presidents of the United States?  Children’s books have shortened versions of these biographies.  I could go on and on.  If there is a person whom your child admires, try to find that person’s biography.  Inspire your children to learn and dream. 

Laughing and Reading at the Same Time

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What do children love to do and is very natural for them?  To laugh!  Also, we have all heard about how good laughter is for us because it helps reduce stress.  

According to the website for the Women’s and Children’s Network on Kids’ Health, some children did a survey of what made the people in their class laugh.  Here is what they found:

• "My little brother makes me laugh because he does such funny things - he's only a baby."

• "Knock knock jokes."

• "Watching funny movies."

• "My friend - because he is really funny."

• "My favorite comedians."

• "Hanging out with my friends because we have fun together and laugh a lot."

• "Watching home movies, especially when mom and dad look so funny with their hairstyles and the clothes they had when they were young."

Since my passion is to promote reading, I would like to connect the dots between encouraging reading and laughter. One of the types of books we had at our home for our sons to read were joke books.  We loved to laugh and our sons seemed to be natural at laughing and joking around.  The joke books were a special family treat on occasions.

Today, with the expansion of the internet, there are all sorts of websites that have good, clean jokes and riddles for children to read and enjoy.  So, spend some time laughing and reading with your children.  Those will be very special times indeed!

Author Soraya Diase Coffelt

Scientific Evidence That Reading Positively Affects Children’s Brains

In a study issued in April, 2015, the American Academy of Pediatrics revealed scientific evidence of the positive effects that reading has on younger children. For years, pediatricians have encouraged new parents to read to their babies as early and often as possible. Now there is actual scientific proof through MRI testing establishing how reading to children influences different brain activities which then helps in the development of oral language skills and ultimately reading skills.  The children who were a part of the scientific study underwent MRI testing while they were listening to stories via headphones. The researchers were able to monitor their brain activity.  Here is an excerpt from the article in Science Daily that discusses the findings:

“We are excited to show, for the first time, that reading exposure during the critical stage of development prior to kindergarten seems to have a meaningful, measurable impact on how a child’s brain processes stories and may help predict reading success,” said study author John Hutton, MD, National Research Service Award Fellow, Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “Of particular importance are brain areas supporting mental imagery, helping the child ‘see the story’ beyond the pictures, affirming the invaluable role of imagination.”

— Science Daily

Read more of the article by CLICKING HERE.