Can Comics for Kids be One of Several Effective Teaching Strategies?

Comics are just one more avenue where readers can use context and picture clues, to teach them how to read and write.  Comic books are a fun way to engage children in reading.  For struggling readers, comic books can be an extra good resource because they are usually shorter than many  books, so they aren’t as overwhelming.  Also, the visuals help readers to more easily understand what is happening in the story.

Sometimes just getting children to read in the first place can be a challenge.  Comic books can be one of several effective reading comprehension strategies.  They can help get kids interested in reading and hopefully they will progress from there.

I have to think that if the reader enjoys the comic book format, he/she will definitely learn to be a better reader and writer.  It just makes sense.  The more you enjoy something, the more you do it, the more you learn from it.

Comics Used as Primary Resources in the Classroom

Because many comic books cover topics in history, government, science, and technology, they can be great teaching resources in the classroom.  Once considered “taboo” in the classroom, more teachers are discovering the value of using comic books.

FREE Comics for Kids

In fact, The Government Comics Collection website (click HERE) has over 200 different government-produced comic books that are educational in nature.  Many of them are quite old, but that was part of the enjoyment for me as I browsed and read through a few of the comics.  You can actually read through the comic books in their entirety and print them without worrying about copyright laws.

I am not saying that comic books should replace some of the literary classics like Black Beauty, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, or Charlotte’s Web.    But they can still be a very powerful and useful tool for promoting literacy.

And don’t forget – just plain fun!

“Ella the Doggy” books are written by an author who has more than 30 years of experience teaching in the Early Childhood Field.
This book series is full of large, colorful photographs and provide a thoroughly interactive experience for both the reader and the listener.
This book series  is both entertaining and educational and will help your child quickly become more literate.

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