Is your Child a good Learner?

Different cultures feel happy and respected when they are represented as wonderful characters in children’s stories. They feel comfortable reading about people that are like them – that celebrate the same holidays, eat similar food in a similar way and relate to the environment of the story. It is important for parents to have choices. Schools require a lot of reading by young, emerging readers. When a child is very young, they have to learn to read… when they are older they have to read to learn. So it is very important to develop children who love to read – this will result in better learners. So use the reading opportunity to develop a positive relationship with your child and read stories with as much diversity as possible.

A wonderful way for parents to be part of their child's learning

We want our kids to feel loved and we want them to love other people. We want them to feel happy and cherished. We want them to see possibilities for themselves. Reading is a great way to see possibilities. Children can be transported to other environments- some are magical, others scary and some that might remind them of their home or a visit to grandma’s. They can see how other people live and what is important to them. This is one of the most important parts of learning about others’ cultures. They can read about other cultures in Social Studies but they also learn by living an adventure in a book. Having diverse choices in children’s literature is a wonderful way for parents to be part of the learning journey with their child. As more and more reading choices feature protagonists that are diverse, this is a subtle way to promote more open minded children who grow into more open minded adults.

What's Best for Your Child?

Want to know the best thing you can do for your child? 

Read to your child every day. Children who are read to develop a love of reading and develop advanced reading skills. Reading to your child also creates a solid bond between you and your child and can open up dialogue. The goal in reading to your child is not necessarily to finish the book but to discuss the book along the way. Discussions regarding text make the experience of reading richer. It also paves the way for learning about new words, which aids in language acquisition. As you read to your child point out each word. Also, read your child’s favorite book over and over. Repetition is the key to learning. Also, read many kinds of books. Poems are excellent reading material along with junior encyclopedias. Don’t feel you just have to read stories. A trip to the library with your child can open up many avenues of reading material. It will also a create a special time for you and your child.

For more information about ONCEKids and the Fujimini Series click here.

Learn more about ONCEKids

ONCEKids is the parents' guide to Fujimini Island from the Fujimini Adventure Series by Author Eileen Wacker.


Here you can meet the characters, visit where they live and find out about the rest of the popular children's book series.  We share the educational elements behind Fujimini Island and ONCEKids; and offer advice to parents and teachers. 

You can learn more about Fujimini Island and ONCEKids:


Fujimini Island on Facebook
Fujimini Island on Twitter
Fujimini Island Website and games
Fujimini Island blog



ONCEKids on Facebook
ONCEKids on Twitter
ONCEKids blog

ONCEKids website for books, games and stuff for your parents and teachers.

Children are never too young to learn the importance of words

You can never read to your child too soon. Often, just talking to a baby or toddler helps them develop their vocabulary. This vocabulary becomes very important as a child matures, and begins the task of learning to read. A great way to talk to your child is to point out objects and name them. Children eventually incorporate these names into their vocabulary. It is also a good idea to introduce a child to rhyme on sounds, songs and words. Studies have shown that children tend to remember pairs of words that rhyme before all other words. Another great activity is to take your child to the grocery store and say the names of objects in the store. Also, try to carve out a special place in your home to read, write and draw. The more prized reading is in your family the quicker a child’s language skills develop. Teachers often talk of ‘print rich’ environments when they speak about their classrooms. A home should be no different. Fill your home with books, magazines and newspapers and your chances of having an advanced reader increases dramatically. Read to your child and expose them to words as early as you can. Children are never too young to learn the importance of words.

For  more information about ONCEKids and the Fujimini Series click here.

Picture Books Encourage Children

Good readers are often excellent divergent thinkers. A divergent thinker is flexible, fluent, original and can elaborate. All these skills are critical for reading. Picture books encourage a child to increase the flexibility of their thinking by letting a child take contextual cues from the pictures and fill in critical elements of a story. Picture books also encourage fluency by enticing a child to read over and over again. The process of repetition actually encourages deep learning and understanding. Picture books can also develop original thinking in young readers by allowing them to fill in the story and make connections between pictures and words. Young readers can even develop their own story lines based on the pictures alone. Picture books can also develop the skill of elaboration in young readers. Elaboration is critical to understanding and comprehending a story. If a child can elaborate on a story then that means that they effectively digested the story. Picture books encourage divergent thinking.

Picture Books make Reading Fun for Young Readers

It seems that each year that goes by parents become more and more competitive when it comes to their kids. It is not enough to read early but the child has to be able to read chapter books. In the quest for making kids smarter many parents have pushed aside picture books. Reading is a multi-layered process and picture books can actually spur active reading and develop a love for reading. Forcing a chapter book on a child that is not ready may create a fear and dread in the child and stall further language acquisition. It is important to make reading fun and approachable for young readers. Young readers need constant support and encouragement and need to make small accomplishments along the way. Picture books are a great way of helping a young reader meet language goals.