Playing Is Educational

Many parents are convinced that the road to academic success is paved with bedtime stories. That is to say, they believe that reading to their children every night will help increase their chance of success in school. While it’s a tricky thing to categorically prove whether books from an early age increase your GPA, it does seem to at least help create a lifelong love of books. After all, kids who read educational childrens books from an early age learn to appreciate what books can do.

They learn that books transport them to strange and adventurous places, and that’s a lesson that many take into adulthood. And while you might start by reading pop-up books to your children, you’ll be surprised how quickly they express a desire to move on to thicker, more complex books. You might even find yourself usurped at nighttime, as your kid starts enjoying the process of reading on their own. Whether it engenders an increased vocabulary or a general love of language, there’s no way to ensure that your child will be an intellectual success. But it does seem obvious that reading from an early age offers a serious leg up.

Conventional wisdom states that actions speak louder than words, and this is especially true when applied to children. Few kids have the patience or presence of mind to tolerate rote memorization and other forms of “traditional” phonics education. In order to be effective, the learning process needs to be interactive. Capturing a child’s interest isn’t easy, but once you’ve captivated him the process takes care of itself.

Phonics games keep the child from losing attention and interest. As a conscientious parent, you can complement these computer games with physical materials such as flash cards. Try implementing an element of humor into the phonics sessions, perhaps incorporating a child’s favorite nursery rhyme or bedtime story.