Hat Monkey & Interactive App Play
May 12, 2015
Does the kid in your life always want to play with your smartphone? Children just want to understand these digital tools that parents use every day, and you can help them.
Author Chris Haughton created the Hat Monkey app, a satisfying way for kids to engage with adult technology. The app contains simple technology that your kid can play with inside the story.
Rather than randomly pushing buttons on your device, the app encourages kids to text, chat and dance along with the lovable Hat Monkey character inside the game.
Sight Word Resources for Young Readers
March 19, 2015
From kindergarten onward, many parents will learn about “sight words.”
These are common words that many school kids will be expected to recognize on sight as they learn how to read.
If you need a simple introduction to sight words, start with The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss.
Toontastic Joins Google
February 4, 2015
Google has acquired Launchpad Toys, the makers of the Toontastic storytelling app. Now you can download Toontastic for free (along with the company’s TeleStory app).
I interviewed Launchpad co-founder Andy Russell a couple times while writing Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age. His company creates apps that let kids make their own cartoons using digital characters and powerful special effects.
“Our nearly four million storytellers around the globe will be able to look back on their portfolio of stories, photos, and memories of their childhood and perhaps, someday, even share them with their own kids.”
The Bookstore Quest
January 23, 2015
A trip to the bookstore can be a magical experience for born reading kids.
There are many ways to make these visits exciting, but one dad turned his bookstore visit into a genuine adventure. On Reddit, one father posted the heartwarming story of how he helped his nearly three year old son let go of the pacifier.
On his son’s 1,000th day of life, a mysterious box appeared at the house. His son decided to put his pacifier in the box, and a magical bookstore adventure began…
Interactive Apps & eBooks for Kids
December 18, 2014
When was the last time you shared an app with the kids in your life? Below, I’ve created a long list of great apps that parents and caregivers can use with kids.
Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age illustrates the art of “interactive reading,” simple techniques developed by experts over the last 25 years to maximize the benefits of reading aloud to a child. Nothing can replace the experience of a child reading with a parent or caregiver—not even the best “interactive” digital materials.
We don’t need to stop using digital devices with children, but we need to make sure these experiences are truly interactive. Apps, e-books and even television time can all be improved when a caregiver participates in the process. No matter what kind of media you use with a child, ask them questions to help them process the experience.
Ballet Born Reading Bundle
December 4, 2014
Does the kid in your life love ballet?
Last month, I read Ian Falconer’s Olivia and the Fairy Princesses at my daughter’s preschool. It is a fantastic book, introducing kids to independent thinking, modern dance and the work of dancer Martha Graham.
In a funny sequence of illustrations, the main character reenacts Graham’s famous dance, “Lamentation.” The kids acted out this dance as I read, discovering that dance is more than just ballerinas and fairy princesses.
Best Children’s Book Treasuries
November 5, 2014
My daughter Olive loves it when we discover a new children’s book treasury at the library.
These special collections include multiple storybooks in a single book, giving her a chance to choose stories from the table of contents and keep reading her favorite books.
Over at Goodreads, I created a list of The Best Children’s Book Treasuries. These are the twenty best treasuries we uncovered at our library, books we have read over and over again at home.
What are your favorites? Add them to the list or vote on your favorite within the list. I’ve also made a list of free digital treasuries you can download online to read on any kind of device. Just follow the links below to download…
Free Classic Books for Kids
October 23, 2014
When I was a kid, I adored the Free Stuff for Kids book series.
I read those books like a monk poring over a sacred scroll, writing companies for free samples of stickers, stamps, and little gadgets. There was something so magical about discovering something free in the book and sending out the letter myself.
I hope that your kids can have that experience of discovery too, even if they aren’t mailing letters. But instead of a Free Stuff for Kids book, you can help them find vast libraries of free (and completely legal) eBooks they can download by themselves.
Just follow the links below to build a free digital library for your kids…
Science Fiction Born Reading Bundle
October 16, 2014
My daughter Olive loved reading Cosmo and the Robot by Brian Pinkney. This science fiction picture book recounts the adventures of two kids living on Mars. They explored the red planet, saved a broken robot and used a variety of space tools in their adventures.
In Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age, I described how Olive and I turned that book into an elaborate game–reenacting the entire book with my daughter’s toys. Extending our interactive reading of the book, we literally acted out the book in her room.
Below, I’ve linked to all the different books, apps, games and other digital materials we used to build this Born Reading Bundle. If you are looking for more science fiction picture books for kids, check out this excellent Goodreads list.
B.J. Novak Illustrates Interactive Reading
October 2, 2014
Actor and author B.J. Novak demonstrated the art of interactive reading in a video about his new kid’s book, The Book with No Pictures.
Despite the fact it doesn’t have a single illustration, the book has interactive reading techniques literally built into the pages: dramatization, questions for the kids, and plenty of opportunities to stop and discuss what happens in the book.
I outline more of these reading strategies in my Born Reading Playbook, but if you are unsure about how to make kids participate when you read, this book (and book video) will help you learn.