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Teach Your Child Through Imagination

Teaching language arts to young kids is not an easy task. Acclaimed author           John Steinbeck once wrote that “learning to read and write is the hardest and most important task of our lives”. Some scientists and social scientists who have studied the brain and language acquisition have concluded that learning to read and write is an extraordinary activity that is not an entirely ‘natural’ progression for human intelligence even though creativity is. Is it any wonder that teaching a child to read and write is such a difficult job? Teaching reading and writing is rocket science.

One of the best ways to teach a child to read and write is to tap into their imagination. One of the greatest assets human beings have is our power to imagine and create. Children are considerably more flexible when it comes to creating and entering into an alternate world. Remember reading a book as a child and becoming so completely immersed in another world that you lost track of time? Adults can harness this ability of children to aid in language acquisition. The key to encouraging reading, writing and fluency in children is to give them great books that facilitate escapism.

Try the Fujimini Island Adventure Series to give the timeless gift of reading for your child.

Games Help Your Child Learn

Practically every child has played video games or some form of virtual game. These games can take hours to complete, are highly immersive and deeply competitive. They also trigger psychological responses. More mature games allow the player to make life or death decisions. These games can be taxing and addictive. Younger children generally don’t play darker and longer virtual games. But the virtual games for kids can have a similar impact on them. The question is, are kids of any age learning from these virtual games? Games build skills that are critical for learning. Games are best when they are designed to instruct or help kids explore a virtual extension of a theme or book. Games are most instructive when curriculum or reading based. Games can generate interest in certain subjects. Games can also improve language fluency and acquisition.

ONCEKids has several games, including digital coloring sheets, to supplement their Fujimini Island Adventure Series.

Games can be Great for Your Kids

Games have a bad rap. When we think games we tend to think childhood, play and…well, wasting time.

Of course, if we think about chess, Scrabble and immersive, virtual games we realize that games are far from simple and afford skills that directly negate any concept of time wasted.

Advances in game theory have deepened our understanding of game strategy and skill building. Game theory has softened the hard stance position that games ‘are just games’ with little benefit and no learning potential. Chess is one game that stands above all other games in its ability to stimulate learning and thinking. Many game theorists wax poetically about chess. But is chess the only game that triggers thinking in people of all ages? Any game that provides a challenge, whether competitive or learning, is beneficial to kids and adults. Thus, a word search can be a challenge if supplied to someone, particularly a child, who is building language fluency.

ONCEKids has a great word search that supplements the Fujimini Island Adventure Series. Visit the website and explore.

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Coloring Fun for the Family!

Coloring is a wonderful activity for the young and not-so-young. Coloring not only allows children to explore different themes it allows children to be creative. I have heard parents and teachers correct children when they color leaves purple or the sky pink. You shouldn’t stifle a child’s creative flow. If you are really curious why they colored a dog green ask them to explain. You might be surprised at their answers. Maybe the family dog loves hanging out in the bushes and is often covered leaves. Ask a child about their creative choices and you might be stunned by their power of observation.

ONCEKids has several coloring sheets available on their website. The available coloring sheets tap into your child’s creativity by presenting various cultural motifs and tapping into a child’s power of imagination. The books can be bought through the ONCEKids website. You can color the sheets online with a palette of digital colors or print the sheets and color with yours or your child’s favorite crayons.

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