For any adult, reading the news is an essential part of their daily routine. Whether it may be – in any form – online, print or television – news becomes an undeniable and irreplaceable part of one’s regular reading diet. The news is our window to the world and it’s only fair that our children can partake in it and reap the same benefits we do. have a window to the world themselves.
The news doesn’t just bring you updates it also helps you understand the world, and its interconnectedness and even helps you form opinions about it. Being a long-time news-reader can greatly improve your hold over language skills by improving your vocabulary and articulation. However, these benefits from reading the news are the fruit of a lifelong relationship with reading and importantly – reading mindfully. To read the news is to understand the interwoven reasons, motivations and outcome of the news piece instead of only memorising hard facts, names and dates.
Children, like adults, are innately curious about the world too. They are always looking for new ways to learn about it. Though children have been left out of the conversation regarding news for a long time. Many parents aren’t sure about letting their children read the news and try to actively insulate them from it. While this may seem like the appropriate action to take for the time being, will this be a suitable course of action for your child? Kids are bound to have many questions about the world and go looking for the answers themselves. News for kids should become a necessary but sensitized channel so children can learn about the real world at the right time.
There are various factors a parent will have to consider to decide whether their child is ready to be introduced to the news. Because every child is so different and unique, the answer to this question won’t be as simple or straightforward. Parents would have to evaluate and discuss with their child to evaluate their mental and emotional readiness for this activity.
Is your child old enough?
Every child matures mentally at their own pace. Ideally, there is no right age to begin reading the news. However, factors such as the level of difficulty, and a child’s level of comprehension are strong determinants. The age of seven is generally a good age to start reading as a habit. This helps children understand and soak in information. If your child has begun to ask you many questions about the world or topics they’ve heard on the news and is easier to discuss, perhaps you should bring news stories to the dinner table conversation.
Is the news relevant to your child?
Usually, when children get to the age of 6-7, they start connecting what they’re learning in school to their real life. It greatly interests them and gives them a huge incentive to start learning more. For example, if they learn about inanimate and animate objects – they would be amazed to learn about AI and robots that look and act like humans! It keeps them interested and gives them more content to share with their classmates and friends. News along with real-world concepts helps kids learn fruitfully through the news.
Does the news interest your child?
Every child has a natural inclination towards one subject or another. Some are empathetic nature lovers while others could be budding tech enthusiasts. Children have so many vast subjects to explore – the world is their oyster! Finding particular topics that enthuse them plays a crucial part in exploring themselves and the things they’re drawn to! This helps a great deal in helping them decide what hobbies, goals and degrees to pursue in the future.
Does your child have the right resources for news?
The last but most important deciding factor.Now that you’ve decided that you want your child to read the news. So where do you start? News sources like television channels and newspapers are inappropriate for kids. They use harsh, complicated language and have graphic and gory images that children need to be shielded from. A specific hurdle like this needs a specific solution. There are special services like Newsahoot that specialise in current affairs for kids! You can let your child tinker around on trustworthy sites like these.
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