The Change – My Perspective on Reading Aloud to Children

It was an honour for me to participate in the First Teachers Training Workshop promoting family literacy for volunteers which was organized by Bring Me A Book Hong Kong. I really learned and changed a lot over the past three days since joining the workshop. I used to think reading is simple. My initial view […]

A note from Julie Fowlkes

Here I am back in California with so many wonderful memories of my incredible time in Hong Kong and all the new friends I made during my visit. With all my years as a Reading Specialist, I know this first term of the BMAB Institutewas certainly an amazing highlight. It was so rewarding to have […]

Julie Fowlkes’ Helping your child with beginning reading skills Course

<By Alice Wong> We live in a fast paced competitive society ( Hong Kong), where children are generally expected to be multi-lingual, multi-talented by the age of 5 or 6 ( a bit of an exaggeration but parents out there, you know what I mean). A friend of mine was worried because his son (5) […]

Taking a Stand Against “Electronic Parenting”

Recently I have observed a disturbing trend of “electronic parenting” amongst adults with young children. If you eat out during the weekends, you will find many parents using smart phones, gadgets or other electronic media to ‘mind’ their kids while the adults are eating or talking amongst themselves.

Bringing the Joy Back into Learning

This is the most inspiring and interesting workshop I have ever attended. “Reading should be fun, learning should be fun.” By emphasizing having fun during the reading process, Julie’s way of teaching a young child is very different from what I experienced when I was a young child. “Astronaut! Chimpanzee!” If you live inHong Kong, […]

Research Based Training

If you are the reader of Ming Pao, you should probably have heard of Choi EE. Aunt Choi has devoted her life to family literacy. In addition to writing articles about fostering family relationship, she also teaches parents the skills of how to tell stories in the most effective way.   Frankly speaking, I was […]

The Fun Filled Reading Aloud Moments

My daughter, Elim is five-and-a-half years old. We cuddle and read aloud every night; the bedroom is filled with laughter and conversation. Looking back, I have been reading to Elim since she was nine-months old. I began with a soft book, a big book and a hand-made book. From her finger-pointing and babbling, you can […]

Summertime – a great reason to read more with your children!

Your child’s long Summer holiday is just around the corner. As parents, we have to think about planning summer activities for our children. A study from Alexander et al. (2007) concluded that students from both better-off and disadvantaged backgrounds made similar achievements during the school year.

Ten of my Children’s Favorite Chinese Books – Part 2

<Blog by Alice Wong> Following last year’s blog, I’ve had several requests for more recommendations. My children have grown up a little and so have their tastes in books. Isabella is now 3 and Patito who prefers to be called Patricio now, is approaching 5. Below is just a selection of their favorites. Again, I […]