NANA SAYS BOOKS ARE STILL GREAT FOR CHILDREN

With the invention of the printing press, the masses had access to books. For children even in this technological age with computer interactive games, the book is still a wonderful treasure not only for a child but youth and adults. I know there are e-books that many people love. Talking books can be great on long road trips. Sitting with a book and reading to a young child is still a beloved way to connect to the written word as well as have an emotional moment together. Going to the library and selecting some books can be a social activity. With events for young children, it can be a warm engaging place to be. On my grandchildren's Christmas lists there are several book suggestions. My granddaughter loves to make her own books with some paper, folding and stapling-she creates a subject and has her own content. Bedtime comes with story time for young children. Often, older children are left reading before they fall asleep. Many adults, of course, read a page or two before dozing off to sleep! Big books, little books, picture books, dictionaries, thesaurus and even the atlas are a must for any home. Encouraging children to look up a word in a dictionary is still a way to enrich one's language skills. Donating books to day cares, libraries or communities needing books is a way to wean one's shelves of read books. Children can carry the books in their arms or read on a long car trip. So with all the other tools used in our modern age, keep books front and center. Be a role model to children in your lives. Seeing, touching and reading books regularly becomes part of a family's life. Adults have book clubs. So perhaps a family book discussion could be something to include in a daily activity. On those drives to those copious lessons that are so time consuming, being interested in what your child is reading may be fodder for a conversation. Of course for the bored parent waiting for those lessons to finish, it may be an opportunity to read your own book! Any thoughts?