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Along with her background as a researcher, writer, and teacher, Joanne Meier is a mom. Join Joanne every week as she shares her experiences raising her own young readers, and guides parents and teachers on the best practices in reading.
Magazines for kids
Sitting strapped into a car seat seems pretty boring to me, and both Molly and Anna agree. We had the brainstorm last week to move all our kids magazines into the cubbies on the seat backs in the minivan. What a great idea! The girls grab one almost every time we get in the car these days, and the magazine articles and jokes are just the right length for our car trips around town. Even issues they've read before seem new again in the car.
You really can't lose with a magazine subscription as a gift for a young child. While they might not make the most exciting gift at a birthday party, their arrival each month and the subsequent hours reading and sharing make them really great. Here are some of our favorites:
Anna (a brand new five year old) loves High Five
which is Highlights' new magazine for kids ages 2-6.
We've been getting Your Big Backyard
from the National Wildlife Federation for a couple of years now. The photographs are amazing, and my girls love the animal facts.
Just today Molly reminded me that a ring-tailed lemur often eats wildflowers (we're planning to plant some). We've enjoyed Ladybug
for a year now; it's got a nice balance of things Molly can read on her own, as well as stories for me to read to them.
I think Molly has graduated to Spider
now, but I haven't ordered it yet. Thankfully our library system gets all of these, so we can preview them there and check out old issues if we want to.
There are other magazines I've heard about but haven't seen yet — they include Moo Cow Fan Club
, which has themed issues and is apparently very good, and Muse
which may be something we look into as the girls get older. How about you? What magazines do your kids enjoy?
Hi Joanne. I've been receiving your weekly e-newsletters for a few months now. I appreciate the research-based information you provide. I'm glad to see that you and your kids enjoy children's magazines and find them educational. I worked with an early literacy nonprofit (www.getsmartoregon.org) and now work with a "new" chidren's magazine called The Tessy & Tab Reading Club (www.tessyandtab.com). I'd love to know what you think of our magazine compared to the others given your professional background and expertise.
Posted by: Linda Collier | August 16, 2007 11:27 PMOur two year old has gotten Animal Baby for the last two years. She LOVES it! It is full of different things, including finding objects in pictures and often has a short story with activity. The pictures are fab. We highly recommend this magazine.
I ordered the Highlights Magazine in August for my Granddaughter, but haven't heard anything about it. She is looking forward to it, so please let me know. Thank you.
Mrs. McGinley
A big vote in favor of Tessy and Tab. Well loved by my little ones, ages 3 & 5. The stories are realistic situations, and the drwing is very cool, keeps them engaged for hours.
Posted by: michelle | November 02, 2009 10:36 PM
Comments
we realy like , Your Big Backyard. It is a great way to encourage reading and involvement with nature. I haven't gotten some of the others but will check them out at the library soon. :)
Posted by: Marye | July 27, 2007 10:58 AM