Category: reading

Reading Can Triple a Child’s Resilience at School: Study

Researchers are encouraging families to read to their children before they start school as a new study from the University of South Australia has found that reading aloud can triple a child’s resilience at school, especially for children who had suffered maltreatment. Reading has long been associated with school readiness and scholastic outcomes, but for…


7 Ways to Encourage Your Children to Read More

A skilled reader is someone who has the capacity to teach themselves virtually anything in life and who can enjoy a life abundantly rich in ideas and stories and wonder. Parents today seem to get anxious about the topic of reading. Literacy levels are going in the wrong direction, and schools are emphasizing “reading levels”…


Little Boy Gives Inspirational Message About the Importance of Reading

What a little scholar we have right here!


Ontario Needs to Get Serious About Improving Reading Instruction

Commentary The reading skills of Ontario students are showing marked improvement—at least according to the Ontario government. As evidence, government officials point to the fact that reading scores on the Grades 3 and 6 Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) assessments increased steadily between 2005 and 2019. This certainly looks like good news. But, like…


Parenting Matters: The Benefits of Reading to Toddlers and Preschoolers

Many years ago a teen girl brought her 6-month-old baby to see me because he cried a lot and Mom was worried. We talked about the baby’s symptoms, his care and diet, and I began to examine him. As I felt his belly I asked, “Does your tummy hurt?” Mom laughed. “Babies can’t talk!” she…


Create a Summer Reading Program for Your Kids

School’s out for summer, but that doesn’t mean the learning should stop. Parents will be looking for ways to keep their children mentally engaged with some of the extra time they have off. Of course, reading isn’t an on-off sport. Reading is year-round fun, relaxation and enjoyment. Reading is one of the best academic activities…


Embrace the Escapism of a Good Summer Read

Commentary Whether your vacation is in your backyard, on a sandy beach, or camping in a majestic national park, the summer read is as essential a part of your getaway as your sunscreen, fishing rod or road atlas. Americans crave tales of adventure, mystery, love, and tragedy as a summer rite of passage. The more…


Reading, the Gateway to Empathy

“It’s all so sad,” said Emma, reflecting on the death of Hector as seen through the eyes of his grieving parents. “Especially because last week during class, I was happy about Achilles getting his revenge. We were excited as he put his armor on and went out to fight with Hector. We’ve been waiting for…


Paper, Pen, Books, and Eggs: Resources and Some Advice for Homeschoolers

Recently, my daughter and her family paid a visit to Virginia. My 8-year-old homeschooling granddaughter, a firecracker of a girl, bounded up to me and cried with delight, “Grandpa, I’m learning to read!” For two years, my granddaughter had struggled to learn to read with the books used by her four older siblings: Alpha-Phonics, some…


To Read, or Not to Read

The quality of reading is closely connected to the quality of the thing read—both the written material and the object that presents the writing. In other words, there is an element brought to the reading experience as a whole by a good volume, with fair print, crisp pages, and a sturdy cover. But the book,…