Singing can be such fun! When was the last time that you sang in the shower? Or with your children? Did you know that singing is a wonderful way to help your younger children develop good reading skills?
Spend Some Quality Time Speaking To Your Children
The Positive Effects of Playing Board Games With Your Children
Speaking Bible Blessings Over Your Children
Helping Our Children Choose Their Friends
“Do not be misled: bad company corrupts good character.”
As a parent, have you ever thought about helping your children choose their friends? You may think – that’s not my role as a parent or my child should be able to choose his/her own friends. In my humble opinion, I think that parents should play a huge role in who their children consider as friends and spend time with.
I was always on the look out for good friends for my sons. Since I volunteered in the children’s ministry at my church, I had special insight into the children who attended. I closely observed the child’s and parents’ demeanors. Did the parents bring their children to church every Sunday or just once in a while? Were they on time? Were the children clean and fed? Did they have good manners? Did the parents and/or children use bad words? Did the children tell lies? What did the family do over the weekend? Was reading and doing well in school important to the child and parents?
I took the scripture verse in 1 Corinthians 15:33 very seriously because I knew that bad company has a very negative effect on good character. I wanted to raise two sons who would be Godly young men. Yes, I was called a strict parent, but what is the alternative? I encourage you to play a very active role in your children’s lives rather than just being a spectator.
Author Soraya Diase Coffelt
Laughing and Reading at the Same Time
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
Some Suggestions for New Year’s Resolutions to Promote Reading
Happy new year! Yes, it’s 2016 and I have some suggestions for new year’s resolutions to help promote reading in your family.
#1 – Plan weekend family outings to your local library. I cannot mention enough about the wealth of information and books that are available in public libraries. Search the internet to find out what your library has to offer on the weekends for children and attend the events. Above all, check out books and other material for your children to read, at no cost!
#2 – Have a variety of reading materials available at home. Don’t let your children get bored with what reading materials you have. In addition to fiction, have biographies, comic books, audible books, and books in other formats (on your Kindle or iPad).
#3 – Intentionally set aside time each day to read. That will take discipline on your part. One of the best times to read is when you are putting your child to bed at night, or after dinner is finished. Don’t wait until you are totally exhausted and sleepy to do this. Plan time for reading in your schedule as you would any other important event. Remember – your child is worth it!
#4 – Limit the video and computer games. Children can sit in front of a screen (whether a large computer screen or the small screen on your mobile phone) playing games endlessly. Many parents use these games as babysitters. Instead of just having your child play these games, try downloading some good books and have your child read them. That way, they will sit quietly and develop good reading habits at the same time.
Of course, there are many more suggestions that I can make. But, let’s start with these in 2016. You will be taking a huge step by making and following through with these resolutions.
Author Soraya Diase Coffelt
President Abraham Lincoln Proclaimed Thanksgiving Day
Do you know the history of Thanksgiving Day? It was President Abraham Lincoln who issued a proclamation in 1863 that we must have a day set aside to acknowledge and celebrate God for our great country. It was because of him that we now celebrate Thanksgiving Day in November.
Read the full proclamation below.
Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.
Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward
Secretary of State
Author Soraya Diase Coffelt
Mentors Wanted – Will You Apply?
People frequently complain about the direction that many of our young men and women are going. Music, clothing, hair, speech – all of these are subjects of complaints. Instead of complaining though, I believe that we should diligently seek to bring assistance. That’s where mentors are needed.
When was the last time that you mentored a child or young adult? The Apostle Paul is a very good example for us to follow. He was a mentor to young Timothy, whom Paul referred to as “his true son in the faith”. Paul knew both Timothy’s mother, Eunice, who converted to the faith, and his grandmother, Lois. Paul credited much of Timothy’s good upbringing to his mother and grandmother. As a mentor, you should get to know the child’s family as that will help you fully understand the child.
Paul spent a lot of time with Timothy as they often traveled and ministered together. Timothy was in a unique position to walk daily side by side with Paul, listen to Paul, and learn from Paul’s preaching as well as observe his demeanor. Timothy was dedicated to Paul and serving God, and as a result, Paul referred to him as “his fellow worker”. As a mentor, you should spend time with the child so the child can learn from you. Remember that you are serving as a role model, so be extremely attentive to your every word and movement.
Paul frequently expressed his praise and love for Timothy. Paul referred to him as his faithful son and his beloved child. He was proud to send Timothy to help others as Timothy had served him well and publicly commended Timothy’s service to him - as a child serves a father. As a mentor, you should encourage and praise a child often. Look for the good rather than the bad.
Don’t complain – help. Our children and young adults need your assistance in mentoring them.
Creative Ways to Help Your Children Become More Thankful and Encourage Reading at the Same Time
Image from www.courageforkids.com
I write often about the importance of literacy. Since this month is November - the month of Thanksgiving Day - I want to merge the concepts of being thankful with reading. How can we help our children become more thankful and encourage reading at the same time?
As a Christian, I always turn first to the Bible for guidance. With so many research tools available online as well as electronic Bibles, it is relatively easy to search for verses with the words “thanks” and “thankful” in the Bible. There are many. Encourage your children to read some of these verses and write them down. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 188:1 - “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”
Another idea is to have your children write on sticky notes once a day what they are thankful for and create an area in your home where they can put up these sticky notes as reminders. Examples are “I’m thankful for my dog” and “I’m thankful for a sunny day to play outside” and “I’m thankful for food to eat today”. Encourage your children to read them every day.
Also, help your children write “thank you” notes for gifts or for any occasion when such a note can be used. I recently received in the mail a “thank you” card from one of my teenage nieces thanking me for a birthday gift I sent to her. It was very special to me because it showed me that she took the time to think about thanking me and about what to write to me and then she took the time to actually write it out to me. That one little handwritten note showed me that she cared for me and wanted to let me know how much she cared.
The list of ideas is endless. Begin incorporating some in your day to day activities.
Author Soraya Diase Coffelt
Getting Our Boys to Read More
MY son, James, with his first book.
Many parents talk about the difficulties they have in getting their sons to read more. They complain about the fact that reading is seen as being nerdy and it’s challenging to find books that boys like. In classrooms, teachers often seem at a loss as to how to encourage the boys to read more. Many just don’t know about the plethora of subjects that boys like to read about and what books are available.
I’m a mother of two sons and understand those sentiments. However, I profoundly believe that parents should be determined and assertive in fostering the good habit of reading in their children. My late husband and I were good role models for our sons because we read a lot, individually and as a family. I often would go to my sons’ schools to speak to teachers if I believed reading wasn’t being encouraged enough and suggested good books for the students. We even purchased books for a school’s library to encourage reading.
Now with the internet, there is so much information available and even websites dedicated to boys reading such as www.guysread.com so there is no excuse. Don’t just sit back and expect your children, especially boys, to develop the love of reading. Find out what subjects they are interested in and then go and look for books on those subjects. If your son is interested in robots for example, actively search for books on robots. I found that my sons loved reading books about intergalactic wars and soon found that many came in wonderful series. We visited bookstores and libraries to get as many books in various series as we could.
I would love to hear what you have done to encourage your children to read, especially your sons. Please let me know.
Using Music to Help Children Build Language and Literacy Skills
Studies have shown that music helps students learn not only rhythm and motor skills, but importantly also language and literary skills. One such study, by Professors Patricia Cullingham and Richard Allington in 2011, found that when we see or hear words in a new context, our brain creates new synapses (connections) to those words. Professors Cullingham and Allington advocate that children be exposed to vocabulary and other literacy skills in different and meaningful ways. Music has been a very effective tool in bringing meaning to new material including skills in literacy.
How can parents use music to help their children with language and literacy skills? First, parents can use songbooks so that their children read the words and sing their favorite songs. Second, parents can sing songs with their children. Visit this website for songs that build reading and language skills - CLICK HERE.
Third, take the words that are repeated in songs and read them in print. Two books that can be used are Over the Rainbow and Puff the Magic Dragon, both beautifully illustrated by Eric Puybaret. Fourth, encourage your children to take part in afterschool music ensembles that inspire creativity and involve expression through the arts.