Friday, November 30, 2012

Poems and Stories For Children


"You may have tangible wealth untold 
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. 
Richer than I you can never be. 
I had a Mother who read to me." 
- Strickland Gillilan

   I love to write poems and short stories. As our children grow, so do their tastes in reading material. We've graduated from the Touch and Feel books by DK Publishing. Currently, we're split between our 7 year old 'Lil Miss and 3 year old 'Lil Man. These days, as parents, we're always on the lookout for new stories and poems for our children. 
   I think the first point to be made is we all could be reading to our children more. At the end of a long day, it can be the last thing you want to do. The benefits have been proven, as listed on the Early Moments website. Those reason speak for themselves. My key reasons are to build a better bond with my children and get them excited about reading for all the residual reasons.
   My brother reads 10-12 simple book to his young kids each night. I'm not that ambitious, but it is admirable. His trick to keep them interested was to rotate the short stories in their collection. He hits the local Goodwill Industries store. They usually have deals on books and he comes home with a new stack every so often. He'll keep the family favorites, as kids enjoy repetition of their favorite stories as well as a new ones.
   My 'Lil Miss has taken a shining to the legendary Shel Silverstein books that are a compilation of poems. The rhymes are fun for her to read out loud, and each poem's topic is funnier and more goofy than the last. They've been fun as the books themselves are from when The Wife and I were kids ourselves. We switch between Where The Sidewalk Ends and Light In The Attic, when we're not reading other short stories.
   As for our 'Lil Man, his recent love is for Puff The Magic Dragon. He likes the story, rhyming, and the song (which we sing often). Beyond that, he seems to really enjoy the old spoken word stories like Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.
   To whatever flavor your children enjoy, make the effort and get 'er done. You will appreciate the time and so will they. You will also appreciate the advance in their speech, comprehension, etc. Happy reading!

J.

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