Thursday 16 April 2015

Here’s Why Your Children Should Read Harry Potter as They Grow Up


With over 450 million copies sold, Harry Potter is one of the bestselling book series of all time. Apart from this, why should your children read harry potter? The answer is simple. These stories expose an adoration of virtue, a conventional outlook of evil, a brave view of self-sacrificial death, and a representation of the splendour and power of love. Courage, faithfulness, self-sacrifice, empathy; these are all depicted as central traits to be sought after by each character. The characters are flawed, they do make mistakes, but we always see them rise greater, learning from their mistakes and suffering for their errors. Rowling emphasizes on the importance of good over evil, and the weakness of evil in the face of goodness. Therefore, inculcating a belief that evil cannot even comprehend the great strength of love, and is eventually is destructed by it.
 Rowling’s works understand that love is the strongest magic of all and evil disintegrates  before it. We see that self-sacrifice out of love is what resonates within the story. And it is this sacrificial love that ultimately beats death and evil. In the story, although death is a complicated and tricky reality, it is not represented as something to fear. There are worse things than death, such as the destruction of one’s soul through surrender to evil; this is a strong theme in last two books. However, Rowling portrays giving up your life to save those you love as an invincible magic of immeasurable power. In the end, evil is dominated by an act of final sacrifice. Love and death are intricately associated, but love is stronger than death and Rowling uses her series to reveal this.

A research group, at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, conducted a study on the influence of Harry Potter on young readers. The research studied the effect of Harry Potter on children in terms of negating prejudices towards immigrants and it found that children who read harry potter became more open towards immigrants.  The series on the whole is one that is highly beneficial to the growth of children and therefore, is a must-read for young children across the globe as it brings nothing but positivity to one’s nature.


Monday 6 April 2015

Read with Your Child and See Inspiration Run Wild


Kids develop a love for the resonance of language previous to noticing the reality of printed writing on paper. Reading stories out loud to your kids expands their imagination and creativity, while increasing their comprehension of the world around them. It also assists the development of their language and listening skills and preps them to grasp the written word. When the tone and rhythm of language becomes an element of a child’s everyday life, the ability to read will be as innate as learning to talk and walk.

Bond as a family:

Encourage your children while taking turns during reading; with story lines that inculcate excitement and intonation, its enormous fun for the entire family to perform their favoured scenes. Reading together is also a good way to institute routine; put aside time each day for family reading.

You might go through a stage when your kid prefers one story and wants it read every night. It is not strange for children to prefer one story over others, and this can be dull for you. However, that story may touch upon your child's comfort or emotional requirements. Be enduring. Maintain exposure to a range of other books and sooner or later they will be prepared for more stories.

It's frequently a fine idea to discuss a story you're reading, but you shouldn't feel compelled to discuss every story you read. Good stories will support an affinity for reading, with or without discussion. And occasionally children need to think about stories they've read for a while before being able to discuss it. So, don't be flabbergasted if your ward makes a reference to something from a tale you've read together.

Benefits of Reading to Children:

· Reading to your child creates an attachment with him, and helps build up a feeling of intimacy and welfare. This sense of closeness, being treasured, and getting notice will helps him grow smarter. A study published in 2013 states that reading to your child can raise his IQ by a good 6 points or more.

· The familiarity of reading to your child is an enjoyable practice to her that will help develop a positive approach towards reading as she grows.

· It soothes your child, especially when he is anxious and fidgety.

· It promotes improved communication between you and your child.

· It helps provide a better attention span, which is a vital skill for your child as it helps with concentration.

Reading together is a fantastic way for your family unit to take a break from the daily stressful schedule and bond. So go ahead, bond as a family as you indulge in the pleasure of reading a colourful tale.



Wednesday 1 April 2015

Beat the Summer Brain Drain

The Summer Brain Drain is a real thing. It’s the weakening in skills that occurs in children over the summer and, despite the fact that it’s widespread, it’s neither unavoidable nor unalterable. This knowledge loss is more expected to take place with mathematics skills than with any of the other subjects, particularly calculation skills. That’s your child’s ability to understand and assess math problems. Spelling is the next area of brain drain. The loss of math over spelling could because neighborhood and home surroundings give children more opportunities to exercise reading over math. 


Children who refrain from summer learning lose the about two months’ worth of math and reading skills. Being in touch with learning doesn't require solving math problems and memorizing vocabulary.

Here are a few activities to help you plan out your child’s summer:

1. Support and encourage reading habits: Make a visit to the local library or buy books for your child. Encourage bed reading even if it is past bedtime.

2. Go on educational family vacations: Pick a place and be sure to visit any historical sites that are in the area of your vacation.

3. Think about a summer camp: Most summer camps not only supply socialization for children, but also provide the chance for children to keep their brains running as they engage in problem solving.

4. Make a trip to a planetarium, science museum, or zoo: A visit to any of these institutions in addition to fun can be a great learning experience.

5. Build it or bake it: When you assist your children bake a cake or build a bird feeder, they become skilled at measuring and understanding directions. They’ll also have the happiness of accomplishing a wonderful finished product.

6. Build a tree house or a doghouse: Merge fun in the sun with creation by indulging in backyard construction. This can be a great do-it-yourself experience that will be highly educational.

7. Plant a garden: Children who indulge in gardening will be aware about dirt, seeds and seedlings, stem cutting, where food comes from and more. They will learn to care for plants and trees and develop a regard for the environment.

The summer is a great time for children to imbibe knowledge that isn't constrained within the walls of a classroom. So go ahead and make an attempt to keep your child’s brain occupied during the summer holidays by providing educational experiences.