Magazines are for kids too {Review and Giveaway of Ilovereading}

You probably know by now that Angel loves to read and she has quite an impressive collection of books in her little library. While I think that kids learn best by experiencing, it is not possible to let them travel around the world, explore every single sight, smell and sound, or meet people from all walks of life at the age of four. Thus, in my view, books are the best way to let them learn about mother nature, about how things work, about social etiquette, about manners and good behaviour, about different types of occupations and people, about the way of life in general.

That said, I used to have the stereotypical view that while books and encyclopedias are great for kids, when it comes to magazines, neh, they are just about toys, colouring, crossword puzzles or other simple activities that don't benefit my child much.

It wasn't until I laid my hands on our first copy of Ilovereading magazine that I realised I was wrong all along.
 

Targeted at kids aged 4 to 9, Ilovereading aims to develop the joy of reading in children and complement their learning through a series of well thought out stories and activities. The book centres around three main characters: Stan, his sister Stella and Lulu, a ‘magical’ monkey.

With six issues published annually, every magazine revolves around a different theme, including Creatures of the Sea, Travel, Farm Animals Our Precious Planet and so on. Every issue is filled with relevant stories, activities and illustrations that pique interest and have the child learning every step of the way.

The magazine usually begins with a story about Stan, Stella and Lulu which seeks to reinforce reading fluency. Sometimes, you can find questions embedded in the story which help the child to develop critical thinking skills and also empathy towards others. I personally love the vibrant illustrations and colourful backgrounds which draw Angel into the story and let her identify with each of the characters.




At the age of four, Angel has started asking me things about nature, for instance "Why is there rain? Where does a rainbow come from?" which I do try my best to explain. However, there is just so much that verbal explanation can do and it helps to have simple charts, diagrams or pictures to further illustrate to her. Ilovereading helps me in clarifying some key concepts to her, including water cycle and natural disasters, and I realised that when she has a keen interest, she can pick up the new knowledge in no time.

In fact, even I was intrigued by some of the pages and learnt a new thing or two. See above? Bet you didn't know all the names of those seashells, right?

In addition, you can also find fun activities like crossword puzzles, word searches, spot-the-difference, quizzes and mazes which act as ways to help develop word recognition and vocabulary building. I was surprised to discover that when I found time to sit down with my girl and go through each activity with her, we could actually learn more than we imagined. For instance, the health quiz allowed me to explain about the benefits of each type of food, the occupation spelling let me teach her about different jobs and talk about ambitions, and we could even spin a story out of the spot-the-difference picture. It's all about spending quality time with your child and being her best teacher, isn't it?

All in all, we are thrilled to have these magazines added to Angel's library collection. What's more, they come in Pen Pal Whizz compatible editions and this means that my girl is able to read and learn on her own during her spare time. Read more about the awesome educational, talking pen here.

For me, I am just so glad that they help to make reading a positive and joyful experience for my little bookworm.

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Now, would any of you like to lay your hands on not one, but six of the Ilovereading magazines?

The six themes in Volume 2 are Staying Healthy and Happy, Pets are Special, Our Precious Planet, Creatures of the Sea, Community Helpers and Kindness Matters and each set is worth S$27. To take part in the giveaway, leave a comment in this blog post telling me your child's age and why you would like these magazines for him/her. Remember to click on the Rafflecopter widget to indicate that you have commented and to increase your chances of winning, you can choose to carry out the rest of the options.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Good luck!

Disclosure: We received complimentary copies of Ilovereading magazines for review purposes. No monetary compensation was received and all opinions are our own.