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It’s strange, scary but also true how many children do not know how to read. I was watching a documentary recently on how children all over the world are being passed over from one grade to the next, without knowing the most basic of essential survival tools in our world today, how to read. This is especially true in South Africa.
So what is going on, why are children not reading, why is the learning process taking a turn for the worse? What can we do about it? For one thing, there are endless other forms of entertainment consistently available at their little finger tips. From TV, Videos, Games and the biggest technological culprit, the internet, games that talk to you so you do not have to read and in extremes it is simply a case of poverty or school classes so big that teachers cannot teach, and due to incentive based outcomes, teachers are passing the children as it is simply easier for them. Either way the least we can do for our children is give them a love for literature from a very young age. With it being proven time and time again, that children who read from a young age are likely to be more successful in life and are more likely to excel in whatever it is they do, reading should be a priority.
When is a good time to start reading to your child? Well from the moment they are born really. Even an infant finds the sound of mum or anyone talking, soothing. Not only does reading to your child increase their vocabulary at a rate you cannot even comprehend until they are much older, but teaches them that reading is important. Taking time out to read to your child can even be relaxing for you. It will instill a sense of curiosity and interest in your child and as they get older even help with your bed time routines.
The very best way to get kids to do anything is to teach them through example. Occasionally, turn off the TV and sit down with a good book. Doing so will help your children to see how important reading is. As your son or daughter grows, the two of you can read together. Take turns reading a story to one another, or read a page and then have your child read the next page and so on. Tell the story with enthusiasm and don’t be afraid to really get into it and make funny faces and voices. I have loved doing this over the years and have even taken it the point where I was doing a different accent and voice for every character in a story, which is a lot more fun than you think. If you enjoy reading time, so will your kids.
Personally I have been reading to my daughter since she was born and every night, as part of the bed time routine, we have read a story. From the time she was 2, she knew that bed time, meant story time and getting her to bed, even if I read the same book every day or the story was short, was never an issue. I am happy to report, that 8 years on, it has all been worth it. Just 2 days ago, she said to me ‘mum I think I am going to read to myself tonight’. I will admit, I love our story time together and was a little upset I wasn’t going to be included in this session. At the same time however, I was over the moon. So I put on her night light and just so that we had a little bedtime fun, handed her a torch and did a quick shadow puppet show for her. She proceeded reading ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ for 30 minutes independently for the first time. It was a moment I have been anticipating for years and I will never forget it. It made me the proudest mom in the world in that moment, for having successfully inspired a love of literature in my daughter.
Giving your child books for gifts instead of a steady stream of toys, they hardly play with, will signify how important books are to you. Even before he or she can read, you can encourage a love for books in your child. Purchasing classics and collections of books in all genres will definitely keep the interest high. Taking them with you to the book shop to choose their own will give your child a sense of control and allow him or her to explore his/her own likes and dislikes. Then by exhibiting curiosity in what your child is currently reading, and asking a few simple questions about each book can also encourage excitement and a natural inquisitiveness. When you do reach this stage though, remember not to push to hard. Understand that for your child, reading should be fun and something they want to do, not have to do.
Sometimes you will find your child may have trouble reading. By being closely involved, you will more likely be able to pick up where the issues are and stop them, in their tracks while any issue is still in infancy. To ascertain difficulties, asking your child to read out loud to you is the best bet, you will immediately see if they are struggling and with what aspects they are struggling. If you do pick up on an issue that goes beyond your capabilities, don’t be scared to obtain assistance, from teachers and other professionals. Once your child has a better grasp of reading, the desire to read will grow. Be encouraging and try not to show frustration at temporary setbacks that occur from time to time. Find books that are of great interest to your kids, and this will act as a source of motivation for further reading.
Even if your youngster does not require reading help, take him or her to the library to sign up for a library card. Visit the library regularly and encourage your son or daughter to try several different kinds of books. Make it an important, special occasion. You will both begin to look forward to these outings and the opportunity to relax and enjoy a good book in the calm, quiet atmosphere of the library.
If you praise your son or daughter whenever they read rather than watching television or playing video games, your praise will be rewarding to them and they will attempt to continue impressing you reaching new goals, slowly but surely, reading will quickly become a normal part of your children’s routine and one day you too will look back and say, ‘Wow, today I am the world’s proudest parent!’ as your child turns off the TV and heads to bed with their book, lost in a world of imagination and growing a strong and intelligent mind for the future.
Recently I made a little discovery that you will be very interested to hear about. Firefly’s… What is a firefly? Well, you know that sinking feeling you get about buying your child a cell phone? Worried about the usage and whether it’s going to be a good idea? I certainly have been! I have been considering getting my 8 year old daughter a phone for emergency use but at such a young age I was worried about her abusing the phone and not understanding that calling your friends mom to organize play dates without asking me first is a no, no. The Firefly is set to change all of that for me, and it could for you too!
The Firefly phone - The Peace of mind Cellphone
For only R575.95 you can now stay in contact with your child 24/7! Its a 5 button phone, and you works purely on a speed dial basis. You can load mom and dads number, emergency numbers and anyone elses number that you think is important. It has a password protected phone book with storage for up to 20 numbers and you can even programme it to reject calls from numbers not in the phone book. No fancy cameras, MP3 player or video. They come in a range of fantastic funky colours and the entire phone lights up when a call comes through, talk about cool and safe!
Check out the firefly by clicking here or you could purchase one right now by clicking here and purchasing online, with 24 hour delivery its so convenient.
Recently my daughter and I have been on a bit of a Roald Dahl binge. It started with ‘The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me’ and slowly we have worked our way through a large array of them with more to come shortly:
- The BFG
- The Witches
- Matilda
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Fantastic Mr Fox ( one of my daughter’s favorites)
Since my daughter was very little (in fact from the time she was born) I have been reading to her. Its amazing how reading to your child at such a young age, even is he or she does not understand the wording at the time, extends their vocabulary at a rapid rate. I will never forget the day she came to me and said her first proper full sentence, it was “Mommy, the flower is beautiful” she was just over a year old at the time and it was one of the proudest moments of my life and it just keeps getting better. Why just yesterday, my daughter’s teacher came to me and remarked on her fantastic behaviour in the middle of the mayhem that transpired (I don’t have the exact details on this but it sounded pretty raucous). She got up, removed herself from the situation, quietly sat down and read a book until things calmed down with the other kids. I don’t know if I have mentioned it, but we don’t have DSTV or even normal free stations on our TV set. In fact the last time I watched TV was in March of this year. So we keep a large array of movies instead. Perhaps that is helping the interest in books along?
Besides Roald Dahl though, we have managed to sneak in a few lovely illustrated books which my daughter truly loves including:
Winnie the Witch who goes on the most absurd adventures and has the two of us shouting abracadabra every time we turn the page.
My Granny was a frightful bore( but she isn’t anymore) , one of my all time favorite story books, on finding this book in my local exclusive books I felt a sense of nostalgia creep over me, and it was as if my heart jumped. An absolute classic and a must have! If one day I am able to do even one of the things this granny gets up to at age 82, it would be amazing. The book has a bit of a rhyme to it and is a lot of fun to read together.
The Gruffalo’s Child , every bit as good as the Gruffalo itself, ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ takes you on a journey through sights and sounds and descriptive words that your child will pick up easily due its rhythm and easy to read style of writing.
Now that she is getting older, and to encourage her to read on her own more, another little idea that recently spawned in my head was to buy her several colourful and illustrated encyclopaedia’s. Every evening now instead of her catching half a movie, I ask her to find out about something new, yesterday it was about Inca’s and today’s topic was Ancient Egyptians, she does this while I make supper and then we discuss it at dinner. It then becomes a family discussion and the resulting conversation brings us closer together as well.
A love and passion for reading and literature is a wonderful gift to give your child and something alot of kids are missing out on to easily these days due to being exposed to, too much electronic media, too young.
We are always looking for new books to read though, so my question is, what are you reading to your kids at the moment? What are theirs, and your, favorite children’s books and why? Sharing is caring after all, so please leave a comment for us to share with other mom’s ( and me too).
I am ecstatic! Finally, months of work, sleepless nights and barely any social activity finally bears fruit…I am watching as I am typing this, our new website go live. Features include forms for every service, navigation that ensures you know where you are always, and some other wonderful features on our Content Management. Over 200 pages all neatly tucked into their individual spaces and all fully, easily navigable!
Like I said I am ecstatic. Check it out www.sitters4u.co.za
I recieved this chain mail this morning and had to share… Enjoy:
The Price of Children
This is just too good not to pass on to all. Here is something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It’s nice.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with R1,681,470.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn’t even touch college tuition.
But R1,681,470.00 isn’t so bad if you break it down.. It translates into:
• R93414.93 a year,
• R7784.49 a month,
• R1796.34 a week.
• A mere R254.52 a day!
• Just over R10.50 an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is: don’t have children if you want to be ‘rich.’ Actually, it is just the opposite.
What do you get for your R1,681,470.00?
• Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
• Glimpses of God every day.
• Giggles under the covers every night.
• More love than your heart can hold.
• Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
• Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
• A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
• A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
• Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For R1,681,470.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
• Finger-paint,
• Carve pumpkins,
• Play hide-and-seek,
• Catch lightning bugs,
• Never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
• Keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
• Watch Saturday morning cartoons,
• Go to Disney movies, and
• Wish on stars.
You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodlewreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother’s Day, and cards with backward letters for Father’s Day.
For a mere R254.52 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
• Retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
• Taking the training wheels off a bike,
• Removing a splinter,
• Filling a paddling pool,
• Coaxing a wad of gum out of hairs, and
• Coaching a rugby team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
• First step,
• First word,
• First bra,
• First date,
• First time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you’re lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match..
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!!
It’s the best investment you’ll ever make!!!!!!!!!
Its been a long holiday and finally the big day has arrived! Across the Western Cape learners returned to school and many are now enjoying their first day!
For my daughter it was a momentous occasion. Looking adorable in her uniform, dress hanging way below the knees I have never seen anything so cute! Having finished Gr.1 at a Montessori environment last year and in fact having always been in that environment, we finally took a leap of faith to mainstream! I have always been a great fan of the Montessori system and it has done my daughter the world of good! The way they are allowed to decide what to learn and the mixed age group of her last class ( Gr.1, 2 and 3) has allowed her to develop to a point where she is the one reading me the bedtime stories, not bad for a 7 year old.However there comes a time when you really need to take a look at your child’s needs and how they are developing in order to decide what type of school system is going to work for them. The options vary from Public to Private, from Montessori to Waldorf, so knowing what the school offers is of the utmost importance!
With my daughter, although she progressed rapidly academically speaking, she is fiercely independent, social and loves sport and while her acedmic and independence needs were being met with Montessori, the rest of her her needs were just not being met by the 18 children in her class and lack of sport… it was time to move on!
The point I am trying to make here is that different schools and learning systems suit different children. Some children like my daughter need the discipline, large numbers of children and sport to thrive, whilst others may well prefer the small social circle and artistic and creative approach. So when you see that a school isn’t working for your child, ask yourself why, from your child’s perspective, what needs are not being met? If you find the answer to be the style of teaching or the classroom set up or the activities offered, look around for a school that will suit your child’s needs a bit more. Each child is an individual and not all systems work will work for your child. So take your time, make an informed decision and reap the benefits!I wish all the new and old learners the best for 2009!
PS. If you are looking for information on the different schools and teaching styles available in SA take a look at these websites:
http://www.privateschooling.co.za/
http://www.saprivateschools.co.za/
So there I was! Working up a storm as usual, the clock had just struck midnight. I thought, why am I working this late?
Today reminded me of what makes Sitters4U different. We started because I could never find the reliable help I needed, when I needed it for my daughter… We started so that when a mother needs to go to her graduation she doesn’t need to worry about whether or not her child will be in safe reliable hands( this happened today, she sounded so nervous yet ecstatic and thanked me for the service). We started because there are 1000’s of candidates out there! Some are people you would never want in your home, some are so over qualified they deserve to have work on a regular basis and can bring the help needed by so many moms and dads out there, we started because this is our Country, our Beautiful country and I believe that any positive contribution to that, whether it is in the form of jobs or growth of other kinds is something we should all be doing!
So today I look at the delicate balance I have created between my daughter, my partner, my clients and the candidates I have met and helped, and I am grateful for the late hours, I am happy to have the luxury so many parents do not, time with their child, I am happy to be able to help other parents get the most out of time they have with their children and I am happy to be helping so many wonderful people find work and jobs they deserve to have and are dedicated to having…Helping feels good! I know I wont always work these long hours but i also know that by putting these values and time into this business that it will flourish….
I firmly believe it, you should do too….Help those that will help themselves and you help so many more!
