Magazines for children target a wide range of ages---from infancy to teens. Parents can read titles such as "Babybug" to their infants, or "Ladybug" to their 2- to 4-year-olds. As children grow, they can choose magazines that match their interests, such as "Sports Illustrated for Kids" for the sports enthusiasts, or "Kids Discover" for science and nature buffs. While some children may not initially think magazines are as fun or engaging as video games, they provide several benefits video games don't.
Stronger Reading Skills
Being able to read is essential for your child to do well in school and at work. It also opens up the world to him. Magazines provide a fun, easy way to spark children's interest in reading. Like children's books, they have visually stimulating images that draw your child into the stories. They also use a variety of fun fonts and use age-appropriate language. Stories are also usually short; children's confidence get a boost when they're able to read a whole story, explains Reading Is Fundamental, a non-profit literacy organization.
Reasoning and Problem-Solving Skills Development
Children's magazines don't just offer articles or stories---they provide a variety of puzzles and other mind games that boost reasoning and problem-solving skills. Particularly in magazines for preteens and younger children, you will find word problems, crossword puzzles, numeracy games, maps, quizzes and other activities that promote learning in a fun, interesting way.
More Appreciation for Differences
According to PBS Parents, children become aware that people have different perspectives when they're about age 6 or 7. They also recognize by age 8 or 9 that people have "inner lives," which means they may not always act in accordance with their beliefs or feelings. Children's magazines---and children's media in general---prompt your child to be a more active participant in the media she consumes and to ask more questions about her world and alternative points of view. Also, being exposed to different values and opinions at an early age can foster a greater respect or understanding of diversity.
Healthier World View
Children are constantly subjected to media depictions of gruesome violence, teen sexuality, drug use, unhealthy body images and other serious issues, especially on TV, according to Victor C. Strasburger, chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Children who are too exposed to violence are at risk for developing anxiety, depression and "mean world syndrome," which refers to children's belief that they are living in a mean, dark world. Child-friendly media such as magazines give kids a break from these controversial situations. As they grow older, children's magazines introduce serious topics gradually and help to put them into context for kids.
References
- Value Mags: Children's Magazines
- Reading Is Fundamental: Getting the Family Excited About Magazines
- Online PR News: Children's Magazine Highlights High Five Honored by Educators
- PBS Parents: TV & Movies: Grade Schoolers
- "Children, Adolescents, and the Media"; Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care: 2004
