Keeping the Kiddos Busy

My parents introduced me to poetry at a very young age. To this day, they recall how I could recite "The Owl and the Pussycat" from memory, and how I used to laugh with childlike delight at the word "bong-tree". That is what poetry appreciation is all about. It's not about big words like "caesura" and "iambic pentameter" or decoding obscure messages in poems, although these can come later. It is about falling in love with language and discovering the power of words. I owe my current vocations as a lawyer and as a writer to many things, but I am sure having been introduced to poetry at a young age had something to do with them. How do you teach your children poetry appreciation? Just read poems aloud to them.  Let them enjoy the sound of the words: the rhythm, the rhyme, the repetition of words and sounds... You can start off your children with the same " The Owl and the Pussycat " poem I started out with.  Another exercise ...

Encouraging kids to read is an obvious choice of an activity during lockdown that it needs no introduction.  But some parents may be wondering how to do it, especially in these times when electronic gadgets attract children's attention more than books. Here are some tips: Be involved, or at least, interested . The simple act of initiating a conversation with children about what they are reading can reinforce good reading habits. Ask them what they are reading, listen to them when they talk about it, and talk to them about it. Talking to children about their readings is also an opportunity to encourage critical thinking, impart values, and explain complicated topics. Keep it light and easy... Do not make reading a chore or else all the more will children not like it. Also, in a conversation I had with a friend who has written award-winning children's stories, he complained to me that a lot of children's books being published these days are too serious. I tend to agre...