The Girl Effect

Are You Raising a Texter or a Reader?

We live in an amazing age of technology. Never before have we had so much information available at our fingertips (literally). We have the convenience of cell phones, laptops, video phones, instant messaging, texting, iPhones, email and more. If you ever have a question about anything you can Google it, and if you want to [...]

Reading Sparks Imagination

Reading is wonderful because it introduces your children to ideas, experiences and concepts that they might not get otherwise. It provides fuel for the imagination and the seeds of new ideas.
My children have rarely been to the doctor, except for a couple of emergency room visits. As a result, they seldom, if ever, play doctor. [...]

Don’t Be a Lobster Parent

A lobster, when left high and dry among the rocks, has not instinct nor energy enough to work his way back to the sea, but waits for the sea to come to him. If it does not come, he remains where he is and dies, although the slightest effort would enable hom to reach the [...]

When Mother Reads Aloud

When Mother reads aloud, the past
Seems real as every day;
I hear the tramp of armies vast,
I see the spears and lances cast,
I join the thrilling fray.
Brave knights and ladies fair and proud
I meet when Mother reads aloud.
When Mother reads aloud, far lands
Seem very near and true;
I cross the desert’s gleaming sands,
Or hunt the jungle’s prowling [...]

Reading for a Better World

Extensive research has proven that reading aloud to a child is the single most important factor in raising a reader. These inexpensive fifteen minutes a day are the best-kept secret in education.
If reading to children were common instead of a rarity, we’d be facing fewer academic and social problems in the nation and the world. [...]

How Reading-Aloud Helps Learning

Between the ages of four and seven, many children begin to recognize words on a page. Reading aloud can help demystify the reading process. By reading stories that are on their interest level, but beyond their reading level, you can stretch your young readers’ understanding, and motivate them to improve their skills.
No method better prepares [...]

Do You Remember Being Read to as a Child?

Many people consider their early experiences of bedtime storytelling to be the most cherished and valuable memories of their lives. The peacefulness, the reassurance of a parent’s voice, the escape into new and exciting worlds of adventure, the drama of a story unfolding in real time, combine to form indelible memories and mold children into [...]