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Not only will it test out and back up subjects they're learning, such as geography and history, it helps them draw their own conclusions and form opinions. A well written newspaper report can often have more impact than television coverage of the same story. I found this true recently when news of the attack on the World Trade Centre reached us while having a family holiday. It didn't occur to either my husband or myself that our son, Trevor, had seen nothing about the events on television (there was none where we stayed and even radio was difficult to pick up) or looked at the paper.

We were all in a relaxed mood, as holidays are meant for, and it wasn't until we returned home we asked our son what he felt about the recent events. That he spoke without full understanding of the events prompted us to show him news coverage my husband had recorded. But it was the newspaper which had greatest impact on Trevor. As he read the stories tears formed in his eyes and dampened the newsprint in his hands. It took the written word to deepen the sense of reality for him. Of course, we were there to reassure him and talk through the things he'd read, as any caring parent would. This highlights the downside of reading the daily newspaper, which is often harder to deal with.