Fun Reading Activities

Fun Reading Activities To Encourage Your Child's Love Of Books

There are so many fun activities that we can do with our children to get them excited about books and the world of reading. When kids are having fun, it is so much easier to draw them into something - like the wonderful world of literature. The very best thing we can do is to guide and direct them to enjoy it for themselves. When we are intrinsically motivated to do something, it is a much more lasting motivation. This will form an awesome foundation for their whole school careers.

A fun way to really dig into a story is to read it with your child and when you are done, ask your child their favorite part of the story. Then have them draw a picture of that part. When they are done, ask them for a short explanation of their picture and that part in the story. And either have them dictate to you and you write it on the bottom of their picture or let them write it if they can.

Another fun way to really engage your child in the books you are reading with them is to play a guessing game. Each time you turn the page of the book, look at the pictures with your child and have them guess what they think might be going on at this point in the story. It can be exciting to see if they got it right, because, sometimes they might get it so wrong that it turns the book into a super silly story. And what is more fun than the giggles?

An activity that will help with reading and make your little one feel a bit more grown up is helping you cook from a cookbook. You can explain to your child that it is important to put the ingredients in and follow the instructions in the recipe in order. Then you let your child be in charge of reading the recipe to you as you make the dish. You will, of course, give them any help they need. But they can also read the labels on the ingredients that you are using. For instance, they can help you differentiate between baking powder and baking soda and make sure you get the right one. Perhaps you might even let them fix your 'mistake' when you pick up the wrong one. He will feel so smart and helpful.

When you can get a child excited about things – making pictures, funny games that maybe lead to silly stories, helping in the kitchen and feeling like a big kid – you help to raise their confidence and also their motivation to really enjoy books and reading. Getting creative and changing things up can inspire children to get reading!

reading out loud

Reading Out Loud To Your Child Is Beneficial In Many Ways

Reading out loud to children of all ages is very important. It is so helpful in their development as readers and also in their mastery of language. Studies have shown that children that don't have people reading aloud to them struggle in school, or just don't do as well in school.

Reading out loud to children can expand their vocabularies, foster more vivid imaginations, and help them learn pronunciation skills. Some sentences or sections of books or even whole books may get skipped over if a child is only reading to himself. When the text is beyond the child's level of literacy, they are much more likely to choose something else to read. So therefore, when children are read aloud to, they are being exposed to literature that they normally would pass over.

It can be good for kids to hear books that are above their own reading levels. They are exposed to sentence structure, words, and concepts that they would not normally encounter on their own. Their brains are being fed and nurtured and they do not even realize it. They are just enjoying the experience of having someone read to them.

The experience of the read-aloud time can be a great bonding time between a mother and a child, an older sibling and a younger sibling, or a teacher and her students. They are coming together over a book they both enjoy and sharing a pleasant time together.

When we turn reading into a pleasurable experience like this is so unbelievably good for children, in terms of motivating them to read and to love and enjoy books. So often books turn into 'just a part of school' for children, they turn into 'work', and many children get really turned off from books in that way. When reading is a chore, they simply do not want to do it. Doing all that we can, as their caregivers, to show them how wonderful an experience reading is will do tremendous good in keeping them excited about reading.

At a certain point during children's school years, parents and teachers stop reading out loud to kids. Often this happens when the child goes to middle school. Experts suggest that we continue to read to children of all ages. It is a wonderful bonding time we can spend with children and it is still very good for them, even if we – or they -  feel they are too old for it. The biggest thing you will be doing is to keep them interested in reading for pleasure. Just like when they were first learning to read and there was that danger of their equating reading with work, the very same thing happens in the teen years. This is true for many teens. There are some who will still read for pleasure, but, they are rare.

So if we read to them or have a family reading time and let everyone take turns reading, we help them continue to associate books with pleasure. And goodness knows that is needed, given some of the drab books we have all had to read in high school.

We must guide our children to become lifelong readers and lifelong learners. And we can do that at home, with some fun family bonding time. And in so doing, we will also be strengthening our families.

Water Birth

Water Birth – Is This Alternative For You?

Water birthing is a relatively new concept in the United States. Basically, a mother gives birth to her baby while being partially immersed in warm water. Water births have more typically been done during home deliveries, but have now entered the mainstream birthing hospitals.

What to Expect - Preparation

Proponents of water birth say that it is a more natural process. A baby has been living in water for nine or ten months already. Coming into this world in the same kind of medium is believed to be less traumatic and an easier transition.

The mother will use a pool or tub that is partially filled with water. The water must be maintained at a certain temperature. Ideal temperature is equal to the internal environment of the body (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Keeping the water at body temperature prevents the mother’s temperature from rising too high and endangering the baby.

The water is also continually changed to keep it crystal clear. The doctor or midwife needs a clear view of the cervix and the baby as it passes out of the birth canal so that any potential problems can be detected early and resolved.

The water level is also important. The mother's lower half is submerged in water when she sits, but her body needs to remain stable, not buoyant, so that she can push when the time comes. Too much water will cause her to float and lose her position.

What to Expect - Birth

According to experts in water birthing, immersion in water eases the pain of the contractions. Any mother would love that. The body begins to relax somewhat so the mother's cervix can dilate without as much pain.

Doctors who advocate the water birth method don’t recommend that a mother enter the birthing pool until after early labor. Immersion before five centimeters of dilation is too early. When you first enter the water, contractions seem to speed up due to natural oxytocin in the body. This increased flow can last for a couple of hours, long enough to dilate to delivery size. If a woman sits in the water too long, the surge stops and labor is stalled. Getting closer to full dilation makes a better use of that oxytocin spike.

Many mothers believe there are advantages to letting their baby emerge from water in the womb to water in the birthing pool. For women who want an alternative to the delivery bed, water birth may offer the calm, quiet delivery she is hoping for.