Is It Just Us Or Do You Think So Too?

Something’s been bothering us for a while.

As moms, we’re always searching for books and magazines that we think our kids will love, and of course a bit educational. Fantastical and mysterious? We’ve got Harry Potter. Building and creating? We’ve got Lego magazine. Fun and fashionable? There’s American Girl. All great topics in and of themselves, but something’s missing …

Let’s try something , shall we? The next time you visit your local library or bookstore, take a stroll to the Children’s section. What do you see? Rows of fiction and nonfiction books, dictionaries and other reference books, and magazines for sure. You might have come across a “Highlights” magazine, or a magazine focused on STEM, perhaps one about hobbies (Who likes to bake? The best cookies on the planet!)

But where are the news periodicals for kids?

We’re talking about a newspaper that talks about current and real news that kids can understand and relate to.Chances are, news, well, it’s conspicuously missing and it’s not from lack of good content.

The thing is, kids don’t resist stories about the real world.. They really don’t. In fact, according to a study conducted by psychologists Jennifer Barnes, Emily Bernstein, and Paul Bloom in 2015, kids are actually drawn to real versus fictional stories. Why? Because unlike adults, real things are just as, if not more novel, than things that are made up. And here’s the real kicker, in a survey conducted by Common Sense Media in March of 2017, kids feel smarter, more knowledgeable, and better prepared to be better global citizens when they read the news.

As parents, we, whether knowingly or not, talk about the news all the time. Did you hear what happened today?

The President did what???

And whether we think so or not, our kids are listening. Why? Because things that we talk about are new and fascinating to them. Isn’t that great that something we’re already talking about is actually interesting to kids?

News, or what we like to call “stories about the real world as they are happening,” provides a great foundation for interesting discussions on the way home from school, around the dinner table, or even during that bedtime routine. News is also a great way to learn something new together. It shows kids that mom and dad don’t know everything about the world either; that discovering new things about it together helps with humanizing the idea of “adults know everything!” (Let’s be honest, we all know we don’t.)

And perhaps the best part about sharing the news with kids is that news really isn’t boring. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Because to kids news is less about controversies and more about…

Advances in technology.

Exciting discoveries in science and history.

The rise and fall of countries and leadership.

Inspirational stories in entertainment and sports.

Interesting and fascinating reasons behind why people do what they do in the world.

and much more.

News is fascinating!

So why are there so few resources dedicated to news for kids and families? Why do news service providers cater so much to schools and classrooms, but not to families? News is not purely academic content; it is not an assignment in a classroom. News stories are real stories that we’re a part of everyday.

Here at Xyza (pronounced “zy-zah”), we don’t see news as something that we have to shield children from, but rather something that should be shared and discussed. Why? Because news is fascinating to both kids and adults alike. Because news is the start of fantastic conversations about the world. And because we believe in the power of sharing stories of the world as they are happening.

Our goal is to fill those bookshelves, laptops, tablets and mobile phones across homes and schools with really incredible news stories from around the world that kids will love.

Interested into making Xyza a part of your family’s daily routine? Sign up here.