Patrick sent us this guest post and not only did I think it was a good idea, but his printable bingo card site is cute too.
Top Five Reasons for Your Child to Start a Summer Blog
When you were a kid, summer activities included reading, riding your bike, going to the public pool, and basically staying out of mom’s way. Kids today can barely tear their eyes away from electronics as they spend all of their free time texting their friends and playing video games. So why not put their two favorite pastimes (social networking and technology) to good use over the summer by encouraging them to start their own blog? There are several reasons why this is a more appropriate use of their time.
1. By blogging, kids can practice writing skills and vocabulary they’ve learned in school. As most parents are aware, children fail to retain much of the information from the school year over the course of the summer. By starting a blog, they can keep their minds agile for their imminent return to studies.
2. It’s a great way to pursue interests. Starting a blog requires that your child have outside interests, such as popular media (music, movies, etc.), animal rights, environmental issues, or social consciousness. They can also blog about hobbies or activities, such as sports, dance, or artistic endeavors. There are many avenues of expression for your child to explore and blogging will help them to do it in a way that is both creative and intellectually stimulating.
3. It’s a way to keep in touch with friends. Their cell phone usage can skyrocket (along with your wireless bill) if they have to spend the whole summer texting friends who are away at camp or off on family vacations. Instead, they can use their blog as a forum to post journal-like entries and photos detailing their summer vacation, as well as receive comments from other kids.
4. If you’re worried about the time your child spends in front of the television watching mind-numbing daytime shows or playing first-person-shooters, but they pitch a fit every time you toss them outside, then allowing them to start a blog may be an excellent compromise. They get to stay in an air conditioned house (and out of your hair) without killing precious brain cells (or alien insurgents).
5. Responsibility is something every child needs to learn, and you should embrace the blog as an excellent teaching tool in this respect. Running a blog requires a certain level of dedication as posts must be made regularly and questions and comments from readers should be addressed. It also teaches kids a level of personal responsibility in terms of the content. They will quickly become aware that unfounded opinions can bring criticism or judgment, so they need to keep an open mind and back up their facts.
Face it, your child has been born in an era of mass connectivity, where webcams and teleconferencing have become the modern handshake. You may not like the amount of time they spend in front of a screen, but you can use it to promote educational and socially conscious activities rather than allowing them to stunt their language skills (JK, LOL!) and mass-murder zombies. So encourage your child to start a blog this summer and see what they come up with. They may just surprise you (and themselves) with their knowledge, passion, and creativity.
Patrick Mickz is an avid Bingo Player and he enjoys playing fun and educational games. You can visit his site Printable Bingo Cards
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